Tower Over Me
by Calla Mae
Summary: After a failed murder attempt Lane Vivian is forced to seek refuge with the Serpents who want nothing to do with her. Caught in the middle of an age old rivalry between the North and Southside her loyalties are tested, as is her heart. And as danger closes in around her she has to find a way to survive. SP/OC
1. Chapter 1

This isn't the beginning. It may seem that way as Lane Vivian found herself standing in middle of the Whyte Wyrm surrounded by Serpents, but it's not. It didn't start with a body on her kitchen floor, it didn't even start earlier that day as she got ready for school. Today had been a long time coming, and Lane was ready for it.

.^.

As the last bell rang and students filled the halls to catch their bus or their ride or make their way to their after school activity, Lane stood at her locker filling her backpack with the day's textbooks and notes. Today was an easy day, she only had student council.

"Hey Lane."

Lane followed the voice to where Betty stood with Veronica Lodge on her left. "Betty," she greeted, and in turning to the other girl she gave her a long untrusting look. "Veronica."

Betty continued without noticing. "I know it's last minute but have you given anymore thought to helping with the fundraiser for Pops?" she asked with a small smile that was bordering pleading. Lane was head of the student council and had a hand in every school sanctioned event, party, committee, fundraiser. Everything. Betty's eyes were wide in a way she meant to be endearing.

"Yes, that'll be the main topic in today's meeting. Everyone's on board," Lane told her. A smile split wide on Betty's face and she stepped forward with her arms out so relieved she didn't think before trying to hug her. "We don't need to do that," Lane was quick to tell her, a hand held up between them keeping Betty back.

"Sorry," Betty said smoothing her shirt. "I can have more details for you tomorrow."

"Like a theme," she said nudging Betty in the direction Lane most wanted. Once they had a theme they could get to work on the smaller details like flyers and color coordination and slowly build up the larger pieces.

Betty nodded. "I was thinking of a kind of throwback feel, like when the diner first opened," she said watching Lane blink, no change in expression. "Remind people of simpler times."

When she was sure Betty was done Lane nodded. "That's good, people love retro. We'll create a mockup flyer in today's meeting, I'll show you tomorrow and if you like it we'll print it."

"That's great," Betty started, having more ideas she wanted to share.

But before she finished Lane said, "good, come in early we'll go over it first thing."

"Oh, um, I was hoping to-"

"Unless this isn't top priority, we do have other things that need to get done," Lane said in a serious manner.

Betty's smile strained as she shook her head. "I will see you bright and early tomorrow."

Her expression still unchanged, Lane offered a tight-lipped smile and an even smaller nod. "I'll meet you at the front of the school," she said before leaving the two girls in the now empty hallway.

Turning from her retreating form Betty looked to Veronica. "She is as intense as I remember."

Veronica was still watching Lane as she rounded a corner, having noticed how frequently Lane's pale watchful eyes flicked to her as she spoke with Betty. "I pride myself on dealing in ice but that girl operates on another level." The two walked in a heavy silence, Betty thinking about losing Jug to the Southside and losing the diner she'd grown up with, Veronica thinking about her father being home. And it just seemed like too much. "But she throws a hell of a party."

"Right?" Betty agreed with a faint laugh.

"I just get the feeling she doesn't like me," Veronica finally said, voicing what she'd been thinking since she first met Lane, who's heavy stare never seemed to let up around Veronica. She was the girl everyone knew but no one knew anything about.

Betty shrugged having always felt that way, but Jughead swore she was capable of being nice without any explanation as to how he knew that. "She's just hard to read. But everyone knows her, she'll get more people to come."

But come tomorrow morning Betty stood in the crowded hall five minutes til the first bell rang with no sign of Lane. And entering the building with his head down staring at his phone was a worried Reggie who'd gone to her house and found it empty, and was now making his fifth unanswered call to her.

.^.

Stowing the 50s themed flyer in her notebook Lane stacked the chairs from the student council meeting and rounded the corner going over in her head what all she needed to get done today to get ready for tomorrow.

"Took you long enough," Reggie said leaning against the wall outside the room they'd set up in.

Hoisting the strap of her heavy bag higher on her shoulder Lane replied with a short, "would've gone faster if you'd actually helped instead of playing with your hair." As his hand reached for her bag she side stepped him, knowing he only took it when he wanted to cop a feel.

"But then I would've messed up said hair, and we both know I look too good for that to happen," he said with a cheeky grin as he slung an arm around her shoulder, letting his hand dangle too low over her chest.

She rolled her eyes pushing against him, feeling his arm tighten around her. "Why are you driving me?"

"Because I drove you this morning," he answered simply.

That wasn't what she meant but his hand was grabbing something he shouldn't and she rolled her eyes again catching him in between steps and knocked him off balance with a well placed shove. "I figured you'd forget about me."

Righting himself he shoved her back, though softer so that he only moved her half a step. "That hurts," he said with a hand over his heart for effect. He grabbed the door throwing it open and letting her step through first.

"Yeah I can see you're wounded," she said looking up at his perpetually mischievous smirk. "But seriously," she stood by the passenger's door watching him walk around to the driver's side and they shared a look over the hood, "why are you driving me?"

They both climbed in and met in the middle, and he shrugged. "Can't be too careful," he answered vaguely turning away from her. It was as close as he'd get to telling her he knew she was alone and there was a guy in a black mask shooting people, this was his way of making sure she was okay.

Which she knew without him saying because although they weren't as close as they used to be she still knew him. So she sat back letting him drive her, looking at his street as they passed it and turned one street further.

"So you're mom's not home," he said as he parked in her driveway.

She knew he meant Rebecca, who she honestly knew more than her real mother, she also knew what he was getting at by noting her house was empty. "You're as subtle as a hand grenade," she said with a half-hearted roll of her eyes as she climbed out of his car, hearing the clap of his door as he followed. She didn't need to turn back to him as she made for the front door to know the smug way he smirked as he watched her climb the stairs. "I'm doing homework, you're always free to join me." She stood in the now open doorway looking up at him, seeing his half curled smile begin to melt.

She wasn't into him, neither Reggie nor Lane had ever questioned that – he was a different matter, and neither Lane nor Reggie knew what he really wanted. What he did know was that she was serious about the homework. "In that case, I have somewhere to be that isn't here," he told her with stark unapologetic honestly.

It made her smile, and she nodded with a long hum as she stepped inside her empty house. "Thanks for the ride," she bid him.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow," seemed to burst out of him, and in the time it took her to look back at him he'd pulled himself together enough to offer a sly grin.

But he hadn't done it quick enough because she caught a glimpse of what might've been vulnerability in his dark eyes. But she'd blinked and it was replaced with the kind of smile that made her want to hit him. "I have to be there early," she said in such a monotonous way it gave no hint as to whether she wanted a ride.

It left it entirely up to him and he hated how easily she ripped through his arrogance, leaving him feeling exposed. So he heaved a heavily grieved sigh. "The things I do for you," he bemoaned sounding put out.

"See you tomorrow," she told him before shutting the door. Leaving him on the front step chilled from the coldness that came off her in waves. She seemed entirely without warmth, but what he didn't know and what she'd never admit was that she counted on him being there.

Pulling her shoes off and leaving them in the cubby by the door she made her way to her room unpacking her bag on her desk. Within a couple hours she had everything done but an English paper, she had it outlined but she figured she'd eat dinner and shower before writing it up and calling it a night.

She made her way downstairs trying to remember the frozen dinners she bought a few days before, none of it sounded good. Reaching the bottom step her gaze flicked to the deadbolt as it always did and she turned to the right to head for the kitchen. Her feet stilled not even a step after as her mind caught up to what she saw. Turning back to the door she saw it unlocked. She stared at it unhappily taking a deep steadying breath and turned back for the kitchen.

If nothing else she was a creature of habit, certain things had certain routines and there were no off days. She didn't leave the door unlocked. Her own personal boogeyman had returned not even two weeks ago, it really was only a matter time before he sent someone after her.

Stepping into the kitchen she hooked a right where there was the pantry and a small wooden table by the window she'd set up because she didn't like eating in the spacious dining room alone. She quickly grabbed a bag of chips and set them on the table and stood looking at the window. Lane had come in the doorway from the main hall, to the left of that was a wider archway leading to the dining room she rarely used. She could see the glare of the lights reflected in the window, and around the corner of the dining room a dark figure emerged with carefully placed steps. She released a shaky breath picturing from his distant reflection where he'd be standing on the far side of the kitchen.

She moved before he did which is what she'd been planning on. He'd barely gotten a hold of the gun tucked in his pants before she suddenly whirled heaving a vase that broke over the arm he'd raised to protect his face.

Shattered glass knicked his skin and his grip on the holster tightened as he looked up ready to take her out quickly. But her efficiency surprised him again, as soon as she'd let go of the vase she grabbed the back of a chair and in hearing the glass break she lunged. He had enough time to meet her burning green eyes before a blow fell over his head and chest sending him to the cold tile floor. With his ears ringing he raised his arm as though to take a shot at her as she stood over him, only to realize his hand was empty and she was holding his gun.

"Are you working for the man who killed my father?" she asked surprised at how heavy it felt in her small hand.

"You're outta your depth kid," he told her, getting an arm under himself so that he was in a better position to go after her. "You have no idea wh-"

"Did I stutter?" she cried in a commanding voice that sounded more confident than she felt. But it shut him up, and as his eyes flicked to her legs she backed up knowing he was planning how to get to her before she got a shot off. "Should I take that as a yes?"

He sneered, and it was the last thing he did before she killed him.

.^.

There was a lull in the Whyte Wyrm at the sight of a well dressed teen standing where she didn't belong. Her pale eyes scanned their unfamiliar faces not finding the man she knew the most, instead her gaze landed on a very tall rough faced man with long hair.  
Her stern face seemed to soften as she stepped toward him, and standing so close to him at a foot shorter she suddenly seemed so small. "Are you the leader while FP's away?" she asked him, feeling untrusting heated eyes surrounding her.

Towering over her Tall Boy nodded. "Yes ma'am," he told her with something close to gentleness in his gruff tone.

This man had accompanied FP to her father's funeral, he'd stood at FP's back when he gave her his word. She recognized him. "He said I could use my father's favor," she said hearing the crowded bar grow impossibly quieter, ready burst, "I'd like to cash in."

* * *

 _This is an idea I had for the show, I hope you guys enjoy it. It will be a slow burn all around; the romance (which I'm so excited for), getting to know Lane because as you might be able to see in this chapter she's a little difficult. And it's okay if you don't like her at first, she's very guarded and I cannot wait to start chipping at her walls who she really is underneath._

 _I hope you enjoy, and thank you for reading.  
_


	2. Chapter 2

A chorus of angry voices erupted around her speaking over each other saying different things but the tone was the same, they didn't want her there. One rough bark broke through the others. "Why the hell does a Northsider get a favor?" Most everyone murmured their agreement.

Tall Boy, having not taken his eyes from the girl's blank face, turned to address them without an ounce of the gentleness he'd spared her. "Her father always did good by us, took our side when no one else did." He turned back to where Lane stood with her head held high in a pit of snakes. "After he was killed FP said we'd do good by her. I'm prepared to honor that." There wasn't so much as a mumble, this decision was made for them whether or not they agreed. "What do you need?" he asked her.

She'd known the moment she realized this was her only option that it wasn't gonna go well, but it'd still taken every ounce of her will not to draw into herself at the overwhelming hatred spewed at her. She took a breath and pulled the gun out of her purse setting it on the pool table beside her, feeling just about everyone in that bar tense at the sight of it.

"You brought a loaded gun into our house?" demanded the same angry voice as before.

Lane looked up meeting the dark eyes of a very tall kid her age and calmly placed the clip beside the gun. She held his hard stare with her own unhappy one before turning back to Tall Boy. "There's a body in my kitchen," she told him simply, her voice lacking feeling.

As soon as he'd seen the gun he figured that much. "I take it you put him there?"

"Yes."

"You want us to clean it up?" he asked knowing that after almost six years with no peep out of her there had to be more than a simple clean up job.

"Yes."

His eyes narrowed still not seeing any emotion to her face. There was a hardness to her he'd seen when she was no more than ten years old, something deeper than a dead parent. "You know who killed your father."

"Yes."

Now he understood. "You gonna tell us who we're protecting you from?"

"No."

There was a heavy silence as her answer settled, as they realized she'd said something other than a monotonous yes. The same kid as before scoffed. "Just like a Northsider to come into our -,"

"Hush," she commanded with stern finality having lost her already thin patience. His mouth snapped shut and his eyes flared but a hand on his arm kept him quiet. She was still looking up at Tall Boy, who was now very faintly grinning at the nerve on her. "It's the only card I have, I'm not ready to play it yet."

"Fair enough," he agreed, she was a tenacious little thing. "I'll send my boys to clean up, get some of your stuff and we'll go from there. Where's the new kid, Fogarty?" he asked looking around until the kid stepped forward, still wide eyed. "Take her to my place, stay with her with til I get there."

"I have school in the morning," Lane said realizing life wasn't gonna stand still while she figured things out. She was already thinking about how to explain this to Reggie so he could get her work and keep his mouth shut.

"Tough luck kid," Tall Boy told her. "Consider this an extended vacation."

She stared at him several moments as if she didn't understand, or that she couldn't comprehend the idea of not going to school. "Yeah that doesn't work for me. I'm top of every class, I'm part of the student council, I do 4-H and peer tutoring. I'm gonna get into any college I want and it'll be as far away from this damn town as I can get and I won't look back. Not going isn't an option." She said all of this plainly, matter-of-factly, too stuck in her own stubborn head that was still refusing to think killing a man was anything more than necessary. A small part of her that never seemed to go away just wanted her dad.

But Tall Boy shrugged, she wouldn't have come if she didn't already know. "You go back, kid, the only way you'll leave is in a body bag." He waited her out seeing her eyes harden as she inhaled sharply, irritably, before sighing heavy enough her shoulders slumped. "I'll trade you keys," he said pulling his from his back pocket and holding them out to her.

She sighed wondering what the hell she'd just done before getting hers out of her purse and exchanging them for his. She watched him unhook the car keys and toss them to a woman, telling her to put her car in the shop out of sight. A timid hand on her arm had her flinching and she turned seeing a guy donning the same leather jacket as everyone around him, but his face was kind and he offered a small smile as he led her outside.

"Long day?" he asked as they walked in silence. Looking over at her he saw her blank face and laughed uncomfortably. "Stupid question."

She looked back to the dark street ahead of them with deeply furrowed brows before she released a breath and turned back to him. "I'm Lane," she told him offering her hand to shake.

With a wide grin he shook her hand and said, "Fangs."

There was a short pause as she processed that, realizing that yes that was what she was supposed to call him. "It's nice to meet you," she said, and they shared a small fleeting smile as he agreed.

They fell back into uneasy silence and this time Fangs didn't try to break it, he glanced at her every so often to see her arms crossed and her eyes on the ground. She was pretty, with her long brown hair and her pale green eyes, but there was something unnerving about her steady quiet – like the calm before a storm.

The house didn't look like much from the outside, one story, small. She didn't realize how small until she unlocked the door and they stepped inside. The living room, kitchen, and dining room were all in one open space, there was a bathroom and a bedroom to her right; and that was it. It was cluttered and messy, and it wasn't home.

"Oh sweet, Tall Boy's got cable," Fangs said more to himself as he sat on the couch flipping through channels. "You wanna watch something til he gets back?" he asked turning to where she still stood in the doorway.

"Sure," she said finding it hard to catch her breath. "I'm just gonna use the bathroom." Rushing to it she threw the door shut and stood with a hand on the counter to keep from sinking into the floor feeling tears burning behind her dry eyes. She grit her teeth and held her breath looking at the ceiling until she felt it subside and as the feeling passed she released a stuttering breath letting her head hang. She was doing her best, that's what she told herself over and over until breathing became easier.

She settled on the couch beside him and he snuck a glance at her to see her frowning. "You okay?" he asked, not sure what he was supposed to do. He shouldn't like her, he knew that much from how hostile Sweet Pea and everyone else was and it wasn't as if Fangs liked the Northsiders more than the next Serpent. But she wasn't as sure of herself as she'd been in the bar, now she just looked…lost.

"Yeah, just," she looked at the TV as if it might have the answer, it didn't, "not today."

They were quiet again, this time the cartoon he'd found broke it up a bit so it wasn't so stifling. Fangs had just started dozing when the door opened and he leapt to his feet stepping in front of where she sat and sighed at the sight of Tall Boy and a few others, including a grumbling Sweet Pea, carrying garbage bags.

"Put 'em in the room," he told the boys and turned to where Lane now stood half behind a dazed Fangs. "Got some clothes, your bed sheets. Figured you wouldn't wanna sleep on mine."

"I can take the couch," she said already feeling like she was intruding.

But he shook his head, bidding Fangs a goodnight to get the kid moving to the door and hearing her quiet goodbye as the two shared a brief look. "I'm not gonna let a little lady sleep on the couch while I take the bed."

She shrugged watching them unceremoniously toss the bags in a corner before stalking out, each giving a different level of dislike in their glares, until the last boy who had the meanest eyes stopped and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "I'm little but I'm not a lady," she said to Tall Boy as she looked at the other guy. "I'm guessing my cat's not in one of those bags." She watched him deflate a bit as he thought of something to say.

"We didn't see a cat," Sweet Pea said glancing at Tall Boy, who was still watching the Northsider.

Her pale eyes were heavy as she stared at him. "Good thing I don't have one then," she said, an almost mean smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth.

His brows drew together in confusion before he realized she was screwing with him, a fire flared in the pit of his stomach and he thought of getting in her face and threatening her – see how smug she was then. But she'd already turned back to Tall Boy, and Sweet Pea got the feeling he wouldn't let them go after this one.

"So you're not a lady," Tall Boy said seeing she was a spitfire. It'd serve her well here, her refusal to back down and yet her level head to keep her focused.

"No I'm kind of a bitch," she said and turned for the kitchen wanting a glass of water. "Thanks for getting my stuff," she told the boy as she passed him.

"And cleaning up your mess."

She turned to him with an uncaring look on her face that got under his skin. "That too," she replied with a shrug of her shoulders. "Want anything?" she asked Tall Boy, and got the beer from the fridge as he'd told her.

While she was occupied Tall Boy turned to the kid still hovering in the space behind her. "Leave her be, you can try again tomorrow." He clapped him on the shoulder and locked the door after he'd gone, and he met her in the kitchen. "So what's the plan kid?"

Gulping the water like she hadn't drank in days she was really just buying time, but she swallowed and still didn't have an answer. "I don't have one yet," she told him honestly. "Getting away was the first step and I didn't know if," she paused weighing her words carefully, knowing if she said too much to the right person they'd easily figure out who she was talking about. "They have a far reach, I guess it's a desperate hope that it doesn't extend here."

There was a big name attached to this, someone with a lot of money. And she was scared, he could see it in the way her arms were wrapped around herself because there was no one else there to hold her. "You can stay as long as you need," he told her with a gentle hand on her narrow shoulder. He met her unsure eyes that were more vulnerable now that they were alone, but he watched her take a breath and nod resigning herself to this. Kid had guts, he knew she'd be alright.

.^.

The next day they found her in the Laundromat sitting on a bench with Tall Boy, who sat with an arm stretched along the back of the chair behind her. She was smiling at something he was telling her. It split her normally serious face wide open making her already round cheeks impossibly rounder, so wide her eyes squinted. It was a good look for her, and it was a shame she didn't do it very often.

Toni noticed the way the two boys with her paused, it was such a different look from yesterday, open and almost sweet. Sweet Pea swallowed heavily and cleared his throat catching their attention.

Lane looked up from Tall Boy to see the three behind them. "Hey Fangs," she greeted, the only one she actually knew and even then not much.

"Hi Lane," he said with a small smile before the sharp point of Sweet Pea's elbow dug into his ribs and he quickly straightened himself.

With a groan Tall Boy patted her knee and climbed to his feet. "Fangs is gonna take you from here, I'm gonna head to the shop for a bit. I'll bring dinner back." He passed the three and looked to Fangs. "You can take her to the Wyrm, but keep outside to a minimum."

He left and they stood there awkwardly while Lane sat on the bench with her legs crossed delicately. When no one moved Toni huffed and threw herself on the seat beside her. "I'm Toni, you're Lane, and yes it is nice to meet me," she said by way of hello with a rather cheeky grin.

Lane looked over at the pretty girl with the pink tinged hair feeling a pull at the corner of her mouth. "Okay," she said softly, not sure yet how to take this girl. If she'd be like Fangs or like the one with the dark eyes who currently stood glaring down at her.

Her walls were back up, her face once more empty and her voice uninviting. Whatever familiarity was between her and Tall Boy didn't extend to the rest of them, and Toni glanced at Sweet Pea who watched her closely. "I'm guessing this is your first time in a Laundromat," she said with a smile that wasn't entirely nice.

"It's my second."

Toni blinked waiting for more, but Lane continued watching the spin of the dryer. "Care to elaborate?"

"If you want," Lane said knowing she should try to play nice. With no plan she didn't know how long she'd be there, it'd be easier if they liked her. But she'd never been good with people. She turned to the girl next to her to find her waiting expectantly, and Lane sighed turning back to the dryer. "Our washer broke when I was young, I remember my mom letting me put the quarters in. They were playing some Marvin Gaye album and we danced to it."

Her voice was as empty as her face and Toni looked to the boys, Sweet Pea leaning against the wall with arms crossed and Fangs standing beside him with his hands in his pockets. Sweet Pea shrugged not really caring to know more about her. It left Toni turning back to Lane. "That seems like a good memory," she said, not understanding why Lane still sounded so distant.

There was a loud buzz as the timer ran out and Lane looked to Toni briefly telling her simply, "it's not," before she stood and moved to the dryer.

With a short unamused laugh Toni gave up trying to be nice when it was clear Lane wasn't making an effort. "I'm with Sweet Pea," Toni told a sincere Fangs. "Look, I don't know what you saw last night but she's got the same 'better than thou,' attitude as every other Northsider."

But Fangs wasn't convinced. Seeing how open she was with Tall Boy, who she clearly knew in some way, was enough proof for him to know there was a person hiding somewhere under her obvious baggage. So while Sweet Pea and Toni hung back Fangs moved forward and leaned against the machine next the one she was folding Tall Boy's clothes on. "What happened?"

Holding the half folded shirt to her chest Lane turned to him thinking once more he had a kind face. He wasn't probing like Toni, looking for any reason to keep hating her, he asked because he wanted to know. "She left," she answered with an honesty she didn't feel safe enough to give. Finishing with that shirt she set it on the pile and grabbed a pair of jeans. "FP found me, took me home."

"Is that how you know him?" Fangs, thinking FP was easier to talk about.

Lane shook her head, looking up at him briefly before she made a pile for jeans and was pulling something else out of the dryer. "No, they were friends in high school."

"Your dad was a lawyer," Toni said stepping forward. "William Vivian, I thought your last name sounded familiar. He represented almost every Serpent, got most of them off too."

"I guess," Lane said with a shrug. "I was too young to understand it. I just remember FP came by a lot. He'd bring Jughead sometimes."

While she bent to reach into the dryer Fangs looked to Sweet Pea and pointed at her mouthing, see. But Sweet Pea only scoffed rolling his eyes. He didn't care who her father was, she'd come to Southside country and started making demands like she had a right to it.

Fangs looked back to Lane, who he was officially assigned to guarding after school. Sweet Pea had laughed at his so called misfortune, but Fangs didn't think it'd be too bad. "You want any help?"

"No you'll do it wrong, I'll just have to come after you and refold everything," Lane stated simply. Behind her Sweet Pea laughed bitterly, looking to both Fangs and Toni as if he'd just made his point. But Lane set the shirt down and turned to Fangs frowning. "That didn't sound as rude in my head."

Leaning on the washer on the other side of her Toni said with a grin, "as long as you're aware." She looked at the side of Lane's face watching her fold; she had pretty hands, and a pretty mouth. If only pretty things would come out of it. She'd been surprised by how forthcoming Lane was with Fangs, her answers were still short and carelessly given but she gave them more freely. "You don't make friends easy, do you?"

She turned with a brow poised in question. "Thought that would've been obvious by now," she said with a faint smirk that Toni returned.

"Well that's something you and Sweet Pea have in common," Toni told her.

"Sweet Pea?" She followed Toni's thin finger to the unhappy boy with the dark eyes and sighed. "Okay," she said sounding almost disappointed before she turned back to Tall Boy's clothes.

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Sweet Pea demanded, and seethed when she didn't even look up to acknowledge he'd spoken to her.

"It means," Toni said sidling up beside him, "we have a new friend."

Unhinging his clenched jaw Sweet Pea said through grit teeth, "like hell I'm gonna be friends with a Northsider."

But Toni still watched Lane, who carried on as unconcerned as she'd been at the bar last night. Toni was starting to see it, the line between steady and reckless that Lane casually walked upon. If nothing else this was gonna be fun. "We'll see."


	3. Chapter 3

"You didn't have to carry it," Lane told Fangs as he set the clothes basket on Tall Boy's dresser.

He shrugged offhanded and replied with a happy; "no big deal." But she didn't seem to notice as she began carefully placing the neatly folded clothes in their designated drawers. "The house looks great by the way," he said having noticed that when he walked in. Everything was put away, surfaces were scrubbed clean, the carpet was vacuumed, it even smelled nice.

"Thanks," she told him oblivious to his efforts.

Toni stood by Sweet Pea watching Fangs' failed attempts with amusement, Sweet Pea on the other hand was ready to tell him to knock it off. Northsiders thought they were too good to mess with Serpents, she wouldn't be any different. "Is there a boyfriend waiting for you on your side of town?" Toni asked watching her move between the drawers and the closet as she arranged things the way she liked them. All without answering. "Or girlfriend?"

She charged past them holding a moldy cup she'd spotted under the bed. "I have more important things to do."

"Right," Toni said turning as Lane passed, finding her intense but cute. "You ever been in a relationship?"

Lane was standing at the sink staring into the cup contemplating whether it was worth it, in the end she tossed it the trash. "I'm gonna refer you to my first answer," she said marching past them again as she headed back to the room to put the clothes Tall Boy had left on the floor that morning in the now empty hamper.

Her grin spread to a wide smile as she pivoted to follow as Lane went. "You're a virgin," she said finding herself both surprised and not.

"No wonder you're so uptight," Sweet Pea muttered, his eyes following the curve of her back as she bent to grab something she'd noticed from under the dresser.

She came back out with a dirty fork in hand and fixed him with a stern look as she walked around him. "It couldn't possibly be someone trying to kill me yesterday."

"Point taken," Toni was quick to say, wondering why it was up to her to referee between the two. "So let's go, we'll have fun, loosen you up a bit."

Lane paused beside them staring at Toni with a deep wrinkle between her brows. "I'm pretty sure we have different definitions of the word fun," she said not really wanting to be around a lot of people. She didn't really want to be around them, and even though she knew it didn't seem like it she really was trying.

"Come on," Toni prodded, "everyone's probably already at the Whyte Wyrm. We can dance, maybe get you going with a few drinks."

This conversation was eerily similar to one she had with Reggie last week, she'd said no then too. "Is there an option where I stay here?"

Toni's face fell disappointed while Fangs came out of the room and stood by Sweet Pea. "I have to stay with you," he told Lane, which meant he had to stay if she did.

She looked at him several long drawn out seconds weighing her option before she stated, "you'd have more fun if we went," to which he nodded. Heaving a dramatic sigh she turned for the door and growled an unhappy, "fine."

As she reached for the knob a hand latched onto her arm jerking her back. And she stumbled looking up at Sweet Pea. "There's a hit on you, remember," he said before wrenching the door open and stepping out first, pulling her behind him.

She hadn't noticed it before then as she walked behind him with her arm trapped within his vise-like grip, he'd walked in front of her when they left the Laundromat, and he'd been close at her back when they walked to the house. Whether or not he wanted to, he was gonna do his job. She caught herself on the back seat of the car after he shoved her in and she slid over feeling him settle beside her.

The bar was crowded when they got there, the music was loud forcing people to yell to be heard, but even still it seemed to quiet when Lane entered. While Fangs and Sweet Pea headed to the pool table she found an empty table close enough to them and sat back studying the people around her. Many had turned back to what they were doing but a lot of them either continued to steal glances or outright stared mistrustfully at her. They'd get used to it eventually, she told herself, she would too.

"Care for a drink?"

Lane turned to see Toni holding two glasses, and she happily took one and downed it. "It's been a long week," she said by way of explanation to the brow Toni cocked in question.

Sliding into a chair next to her Toni offered a small smile. "I take it you don't feel like dancing."

"I don't dance."

Toni laughed lightly. "Why am I not surprised." They shared a smile though Lane's was fleeting, and Toni saw for the first time that day how tired she seemed. "How'd you sleep last night?"

"I didn't," was Lane's quiet answer, so quiet Toni almost imagined she'd heard it. There was a soft touch on her hand and Lane looked down to see Toni had pushed her own glass toward her. Her sigh was almost relieved as she downed that one as well.

Looking to where the boys were shoving each other with wide grins on their faces Toni half-turned to Lane. "You clearly aren't enjoying yourself," she said, "but he appreciates you letting him come out." She met Lane's eye and saw her half hearted shrug. "Why are you making such an effort for him?"

Lane watched Fangs seeing his easy smile. "He was nice when he didn't have to be," she answered. There was a moment's pause before she turned to Toni. "So were you."

Almost touched Toni grinned. "Does that mean you'll dance with me?" she teased seeing beneath Lane's eye roll her faint smile.

"Maybe next time," she answered, without really answering because though Toni didn't know her well she had a feeling Lane would turn her down then too. The two girls sat for a while longer, Fangs came over to talk, Sweet Pea hovered refusing to be apart of anything to do with her, and Lane very slowly and with great reluctance began to let her guard down. They even got her to laugh, a very brief series of chuckles coupled with a flash of teeth as she grinned – it was a start.

"I'll take her from here," said a low gruff voice and they turned to see Tall Boy at her back. He looked to Fangs. "She's coming to the shop with me tomorrow."

With his hand light on her shoulder she stood and bid them all a goodnight, begrudgingly she included and even unhappier Sweet Pea, and left with Tall Boy. "Thank you for this," she told him when they were back in his house.

"You don't have to keep thanking me," he informed her as he grabbed a beer from the fridge. Looking at her tired face he extended it to her, offering her the beer as if she were ten years older and had lived long enough to deserve any part of what was happening to her. But before he could forget she was just a sixteen year old kid, she shook her head, her arms still folded around her like she needed to protect herself. "You're dad was a good guy, one of the best," he told her. "We'll see how much you take after him."

Not enough, Lane thought knowing if she was like either of her parents it'd be her mom. She wasn't good enough to be like her dad. "You know I'm really tired."

He looked at her seeing something swimming in her wet eyes and he nodded. "Okay."

Feeling like she couldn't meet his eye she turned for the room and quietly shut the door. She felt like she'd been tired for years, it was a heavy suffocating weight as she lay curled on her side. But sleep wouldn't come, she'd close her eyes and see that awful sneer before the gun jerked in her hands and his face slackened. And still hearing the last push of air from his lungs she remembered her father dying.

Morning didn't come soon enough. As the sky began to lighten she dragged herself out of bed and quietly tiptoed to the kitchen hearing Tall Boy's loud heavy snoring from the couch.

A little while later he found her sitting on the concrete front step holding her nearly finished cup of coffee as she watched the sunrise. With a joint-aching sigh he sat beside her, and they staid there for a time in the early morning chilled air that had her lightly leaning against him for warmth.

In the grass beside the step grew sparse little yellow flowers, and he picked one and held it out to her. He watched her turn looking at it for a moment before she almost shyly took it, and she looked up at him with the same wide eyes she had when he'd done this six years ago. She remembered him.

.^.

Tall Boy had set her up in the shop's main office, away from the prying eyes of his boys and any other Southsider who needed their car worked on. She'd gone through every magazine and scrap paper lying around, peeked in desk drawers, straightened everything up cleaned the windows, punched at the keyboard of the locked computer. After three hours she'd slumped so far in the chair her shoulders were almost touching the seat. She still had four hours til the high school let out, and even though she was still unsure about Fangs and Toni they were better than this endless boredom.

He was hunched over the engine of an old run down car muttering about the carburetor being shot when a thin figure moved in his peripheral. Tall Boy looked up to find Lane peering at the grimy engine with furrowed brows. "Sorry this isn't as exciting as what you're used to," he said without really being all that sorry.

"I shouldn't have cleaned so fast yesterday," she shrugged looking at the piece he was shining the flashlight on. "Mind if I watch?" she asked him in an almost quiet way.

Grinning faintly he held the flashlight out to her. "You can hold the light." He was mildly impressed when she leaned under the hood hitting the carburetor just right. With both his hands free and decent lighting it'd make this job a hell of a lot easier.

"What are you doing?"

He looked up and could see it on her face that she was being sincere. His rough expression softened just a little and he turned back to the engine and started explaining the problem and how he was gonna fix it.

.^.

The two boys stood in the office, the light was off and it was empty, but it was clean which meant Lane had been there. They walked around to the shop looking from one car that had its hood popped, to another that was suspended as the tires were changed, hearing a few voices calling over the loud roar of an engine. But where Fangs went left spotting Tall Boy, Sweet Pea hesitated at the sight of jean clad legs sticking out from under a car.

His head was cocked to the side inquisitively as he slowly moved to her side, and he kicked her small foot to get her attention. He watched her roll out on the wooden creeper and pause at the sight of him, her brows furrowed as she looked at her watch. "Is it that time already?"  
He stood back when she climbed to her feet, almost remembering too late where she was from when he thought of helping her up. "Sorry to run out on you in the middle of it," she said turning to address the perpetually sour-faced man she'd been working with.

"There'll be more for you to do tomorrow," he told her in a rough voice. Even then, still sounding mean, he wasn't as hostile as when Tall Boy first left her with him.

Grabbing a rag Lane walked with Sweet Pea scrubbing at her hands, he noticed beneath the dirt she had pretty trim nails. And he didn't think she knew she had grease on her face. Her hair was falling out of its bun, she wasn't wearing a bit of makeup, and she'd borrowed one of Tall Boy's shirts – for the first time she didn't look like a Northsider. Sweet Pea didn't like that.

"You did good kid," Tall Boy told her when they found him and Fangs, catching her small smile. "I'll see if we can't find a uniform that'll fit you."

It was the strangest feeling, she was almost excited to come back. Then again she liked learning new things, and on top of that she'd spent the last four hours too preoccupied to think of who wanted her dead. "See you at home," she said before following Fangs outside, with Sweet Pea close at her back.

She sat in the back while the boys took the front making small talk, with Fangs at least because Sweet Pea was in a mood and wouldn't acknowledge she was there. "Where's Toni?" she finally asked. If she had to pick between her and Sweet Pea she'd rather him be gone.

"With the other Northsider," Sweet Pea growled at having to deal with two of them.

"He means Jughead," Fangs explained for him, looking at her in the rearview mirror to see her looking out the window.

Toni had said something about him yesterday, about whether they needed to keep her a secret from him. "I figured," was her simple reply.

A silence settled over them, heavy and stifling, and no one said anything for the remainder of the drive. She unlocked the door with the keys Tall Boy had copied for her and let them in. "There isn't much to eat but you can watch TV, I'm gonna take a shower."

The boys shared a look before they sat on opposite sides of the couch hearing the steady stream of the shower beneath the show they'd found. She came back in an oversized shirt and sweat pants with her wet hair pulled back, and she sat in the place between them curling her knees to her chest.

For the most part they stayed quiet, Fangs made an occasional comment but after a while Lane stopped responding. His phone buzzed and he smiled almost relieved. "Toni's on her way," he said turning to Lane and Sweet Pea. The sight he was met with was of Sweet Pea's stony face over Lane's head, which at some point had fallen onto his shoulder. "How long has she been out?"

"Thirty minutes," Sweet Pea muttered glaring down at her half hidden face. It'd been so light at first he didn't notice. And though he was greatly unhappily he sat still with her weight against him, telling himself it meant nothing that he didn't want to wake her.

With his mouth pursed around a grin Fangs sat back watching TV, noticing how unusually still Sweet Pea was. There was a knock on the door and Fangs jumped to his feet startled before he saw Toni through the window. Unceremoniously Sweet Pea shoved her off him and stood leaving her to blink dazed on the couch having to remember where she was.

Looking up at the opened door she saw a familiar beanie-wearing boy charge inside and stop when he saw her. "Hey Jug," she greeted simply.

He stared at her wide eyed and mouth slightly agape. "Lane," he said though it sounded a question. "What the hell are you doing here?"


	4. Chapter 4

They'd been working on the Red and Black when Toni very casually dropped Lane into the conversation, so much so Jughead didn't realize at first that the two girls shouldn't know each other. And yet there he stood in Tall Boy's house gaping at where Lane sat blinking at him like it was any other day. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded moving toward her, but he was forced back as Sweet Pea stepped between them. Jughead looked from Sweet Pea to Lane, who didn't notice as she addressed Toni.

"You didn't tell him?" she asked, looking to where Toni now sat beside her on the couch.

"I told him on the way over."

Lane turned back to Jughead, who stood half behind Sweet Pea. "Then what's the question?"

He gave a short irritable laugh. "Cut the superior act, Lane, you know exactly what I'm asking. Why here? Did it not occur to you to, I don't know, go to the police?" Like any other normal person, but he kept that part to himself.

The way familiarity softened her face had been so subtle the three who knew her least didn't notice, at least not until they watched her expression harden. "You really wanna start this conversation insulting my intelligence." She didn't pose it as a question, the warning was clear in her stony voice.

"Enlighten me," Jughead said not backing down. He didn't think she knew what she was getting into, or how much worse it could get.

She was on her feet and stepping closer, this time Sweet Pea turned facing her now thinking he might have to keep her back. "He's either already got the sheriff in his pocket or would buy someone to take us both out. Coming here was about disappearing until I figured out how to fix this. I'm a lot of things, Jughead, stupid isn't one of them."

"You figure anything out yet?" he asked in as unkind a tone as hers.

"Would I still be here?"

The two stared each other down and Toni jumped up from the couch. "Maybe we should take a break, cool off a little," she suggested looking to Fangs, who stood on the other side of them watching with wide eyes.

"Yeah, somewhere that's not this really small house," he added feeling suddenly claustrophobic.

Their breathing was even and their brows were creased. "You guys can go, I'll stay with her until Tall Boy comes back," Jughead replied.

That wasn't what Toni meant, and if she were honest it wasn't Jughead she was worried about. "Lane, if you wa-"

"We have a few things to discuss," she snapped. Though she blinked and turned to Toni, having not meant to sound that harsh. "We'll be fine, thank you," she said in an almost nicer way.

Toni gave a quiet okay before ushering the boys out, Fangs was quick to turn on his heel but Sweet Pea almost held his ground between her and Jughead. When they were outside heading for the car Fangs was using to drive her around Fangs turned and asked, "okay, she's scary right?"

With a laugh Toni nodded. "She's something," she agreed. In truth they didn't know what to think of Lane, her above it all attitude was very much that of a Northsider. But she had a dead-eyed stare that somehow also burned. She was almost intimidating.

Inside the house Jughead and Lane still stood several feet apart sharing a very heavy look, but something unspoken had passed between them as it did every time they argued and it weakened their resolve. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into," he told her, warned her. "This is more than a favor, you're gonna end up owing them."

"Toni told you why I'm here," she said leading him to her point.

He nodded. "Yeah, she said there's a hit on you. What's that about?"

He was one of the people who'd figure it out if she said the wrong thing, so she took a breath and let her tense shoulders fall. "He either somehow found out I saw him kill my dad or he's tying up a potential loose end."

His face softened to one of pity. "This was a hail mary," he said and she nodded. Jughead sighed realizing just how serious this was, she was the only living witness and he'd seen enough movies to know how this played out. "You really killed someone?" he asked having a hard time believing it. That someone wanted her dead, that she was capable, that she was standing here so nonchalantly saying yes.

"You can't tell anyone," she told him in a small voice sounding so very tired. "You can't tell her."

He straightened at that, a fire lighting in his eyes once more. "You know Betty was really worried when you didn't show up. I'm not gonna lie to her for you."

"I'm not asking you to," was her simple reply.

They were left still standing a foot apart, him with too many questions and her refusing to answer. "This would be easier if you'd tell me who to worry about it," he said knowing she'd never answer.

And sure enough she gave a blunt, "probably."

Inhaling sharply he fought not to roll his eyes. "It'd be easier if you'd stop being difficult."

She shrugged turning back to the couch. "It is me we're talking about," she said as if it were a joke, as if she didn't know what kind of person she was.

With a sigh Jughead joined her. "This is true," he agreed knowing her well. "And you're weird."

"It's why you like me."

"Also true," he said in the same dull tone as they both stared at the TV. They found some cheesy old horror movie and for the most part talked through it, laughing at the scary parts, and at one particularly weak moment she'd even asked him how he was adjusting. They were both slouched low on the couch with their feet propped up on the coffee table when Tall Boy came home. "Where are the other three?"

"He sent them away so he could yell at me," Lane answered before filling her mouth with popcorn.

Tall Boy looked at FP's kid, who was very slowly starting to become wrapped up with the Serpents. "How'd that go?"

"Like running full force into a wall," Jughead said prodding her with his elbow, catching her faint smirk as she continued to watch the movie. Over her head he saw Tall Boy leaning against the wall watching them with an unknown look in his eye, Jughead suddenly got the feeling he was intruding. He'd have to ask her about it later. "I guess I'm gonna head home."

Lane looked up at where he now stood and gave a quiet, "okay." It'd been a while since they just hung out, she'd made herself too busy for that, it surprised her how easy it was to fall back into. "I'll see you around."

"Yeah," he agreed touching her shoulder as he passed. He looked up at Tall Boy and they shared a nod before he was out the door.

"You two close?" Tall Boy asked after the door closed.

Lane shrugged muting the TV. "It was a friendship that always could've been but never really was."

"How come?"

Setting her elbow on the arm rest she placed her chin in hand and looked up at where he now stood over her, finding she was getting used to having him around. "I guess I've never really been one for friends," she answered thinking about her life now instead of how she'd been when she was younger.

He thought the opposite, he only knew her when she was a child. "You were a sweet kid," he told her, "a bit odd, but sweet." He remembered the first time he'd gone with FP to meet with her father, he'd sat on the bench keeping watch while they talked, and she'd sat herself right beside him and asked who drew on his skin and whether he'd let her because she was very good at drawing butterflies. "If I'd known the way you're life was gonna go, I'd've made you smile more. I don't think you do that much anymore."

She felt what was becoming a familiar flood behind her eyes and she blinked it away taking a breath. "I'm really tired," was starting to become her overused excuse.

But as he'd done the night before he gave a quiet, "okay," and let her shut herself in his room. She wasn't ready, she didn't feel safe enough yet.

She stood with her back to the door taking slow deep breaths, refusing the tears that kept threatening to spill. She hadn't let herself cry in so long she didn't know how she'd ever stop. On one particularly heavy exhale that sounded more a sigh she straightened shrugging her shoulders back as though to rid herself of an unbearable weight. She opened her eyes to a dark room that wasn't hers, but it was warm and she could lay on the bed and not have to remind herself that she wasn't the only person in the world. And in that moment, that was enough.

.^.

Even in the standard grey one-piece uniform Lane was easy to find in the garage, she was by far the shortest one there. But Tall Boy told her earlier she had small hands and they fit in places most of theirs didn't.

"You don't have to stay," Fangs said as he and Sweet Pea made their way through the shop toward where she was hunched over an engine following Tall Boy's instructions as he pointed to something. "We can meet up at the Whyte Wyrm later." He knew Sweet Pea didn't like her, it'd probably be easier if the two were separated.

"And leave you to deal with the Northsider?"

But Fangs shrugged hanging back, not wanting to get too close in case she overheard. "She's not that bad."

Sweet Pea stopped with him watching his unassuming face with hard eyes. "She's not your friend. She wouldn't have given any of us a second look if she didn't need our help. Don't let her fool you," he growled before stalking over to where she stood. "How much longer are you gonna be?"

Choosing not to respond to his rough voice she looked up at him. "I honestly have no idea."

He was forced to pause at that, as she'd known, and with it his indignant anger lessened as he turned to Tall Boy for an answer. "A little less than an hour," Tall Boy told them both. "You go, I'll finish up."

"Alright," she said handing the tool he'd given her to use back to him and grabbed a rag. "Where's Fangs, I thought he was assigned to me?" she asked not turning back to the angry boy beside her.

Before Fangs could speak up Sweet Pea was already demanding, "what, am I not good enough for you?"

"Is that what I said?"

He laughed bitterly, his teeth flashing in a cruel smile. "You think you're so much better than us," he sneered. "Just like every other Northsider."

"Oh I can be a lot worse."

They stared each other down, Sweet Pea towering over her and Lane standing at a foot shorter looking for all the world like she could take him. "I'm over here by the way," Fangs suddenly stated from behind them. And when they both turned he fixed Lane with a sweet, albeit uncomfortable, smile. "Hi."

She blinked at him before responding with a bland, "hey," and turned back to Sweet Pea. "Keep up this Northsider crap and I'll start living up to it," she told him staring levelly at him as she marched past.

From behind him Tall Boy said, "I don't advise testing that." Sweet Pea turned to where he stood with markedly less anger and Tall Boy shook his head, kid had every right not to like her but he was gonna realize sooner or later this girl didn't know how to back down.

She returned to them several minutes later donning street clothes and a ponytail, her hands and face scrubbed clean of grease but she still smelled faintly like diesel beneath the heavy floral scent of either her clothes or deodorant.

Giving a small wave to Tall Boy she left the garage trailing behind Sweet Pea's imposing form. They took her to the store at her quiet request, she was tired of eating out and now that she had someone else to eat leftovers she could cook again.

"Oh I haven't had these in forever," Fangs said holding up a box of Little Debbie's with a grin. "You ever have these?" he asked looking to Sweet Pea who shook his head. His smile fell when Lane grabbed the box from him, but he watched her toss it in the cart and it returned to his face. They followed her as she grabbed various bags of chips before she headed to the meat section. "What are you making?" Fangs asked watching her look through the packs of chicken breasts.

"Pasta," she answered finding one she thought didn't look gray. When there was no further response she looked at where he stood beside her trying to appear innocent as he scuffed his shoe. "You wanna stay for dinner tomorrow?" He answered quickly, excited even at the thought of a homecooked meal: it almost made her smile.

"What?" Sweet Pea asked when she kept looking at him.

"Do you want dinner tomorrow?" she asked again. "If so I'll get the bigger pack of chicken." She sighed when he still didn't answer, although his expression wasn't as closed off as it normally was, he almost looked unsure. "Okay, I'll answer for you."

He watched her put back the chicken and grab the bigger pack before setting it in the cart and walking away. He was slow to follow not liking the way his thoughts of her were turning around in his head. "See," Fangs said smacking his arm, "she's not bad." He walked away before he could hear Sweet Pea's grumbled response.

The cashier looked between the three as she scanned the food, the judgment clear on her young face. "We're not together," Fangs exclaimed after several long quiet seconds of neither Lane nor Sweet Pea noticing. The look Sweet Pea and Lane wore was similar as they turned to Fangs, but Lane chuckled faintly shaking her head. "What?" he asked her.

"Nothing, you reminded me of this guy who does that every time he's with me," she said grabbing the credit card she only had for emergencies. It was under her step mother's maiden name, she didn't think the person after her was having her bank account monitored but this way it made it that much harder to find her on the chance he was.

"Reggie?" Fangs asked innocently.

Sweet Pea watched her still and saw her eyes narrow before she turned to Fangs, he found himself continuously surprised at how quick she caught on.

At her heavy stare Fangs swallowed glancing at Sweet Pea, who was looking at her. "He, uh, Tall Boy says he keeps calling."

She turned back to the keypad snatching the card out of it and nodded. "Okay," she said, but her mind was spinning as she thought of what it'd take to make him stop.

"You can't call him," Sweet Pea told her grabbing the bags, seeing on her face she was thinking of it.

He didn't know her well enough to know what she was thinking, or else he'd have it in mind to tie her down. "I know," she stated simply watching as Fangs grabbed the rest. She walked with them empty handed out of the store.

"We got one more place to stop," Fangs told her as they loaded the groceries in the trunk. "It shouldn't take long."

She sat quietly in the back as they drove to a part of town she didn't know and stopped at some hole in the wall place covered in graffiti and trash. "Stay here," Sweet Pea ordered as the two of them walked to the back room. It left her waiting in the front, and she turned from the window to the small table where a little boy was hunched over with a cup of broken crayons.

Ten minutes later the two emerged from the back and Fangs smacked Sweet Pea's arm catching sight of her at the kid's table and grinned. "What's that one?" they heard her ask quietly.

"That's a dragon," the boy told her. "He's burning all the bad people."

She nodded as though that made sense, looking at his orange lines realizing they were flames. "It's very good," she told him simply, matter of factly.

"Hey Lane?"

Putting her crayons back she stood ruffling the kid's shaggy hair. "Nice meeting you kid," she told him before walking between the two boys she was slowly getting used to.

They'd almost reached the car, Fangs had stepped further to the right to get to the passenger's side and Sweet Pea was reaching for the keys in his pocket when he felt her small hand light on his back. He'd filled his mouth full of hateful words when he turned to her, but she was looking at something behind them.

They were far enough away their crude yelling was faint, but Lane had heard it and turned seeing a group of punks skulking out of an alley. There was something odd about them, something that wasn't familiar. It was the way they cast their eyes about them, she realized, as though looking for a next meal. Lane reached for the boy closest to her and that happened to be Sweet Pea. She felt him stop with her before she was suddenly jerked around and shoved against the car with him pressed against her back. He had one hand still around her arm and the other in his pocket, she assumed holding the switch blade he always had on him.

With her head against his chest tilted far back she watched him, catching the bulging jaw of his muscle as he watched the group pass, feeling his hold on her arm slip as he slid more around her keeping her out of sight.

"Get Tall Boy," he said forcing the keys into her hand and looking to Fangs. Fangs was worried, hell he was too, there were at least three Ghoulies to their two. Looking down at Lane's unhappy eyes he was really hating this job.

"What do we have here?" cried a strangely gleeful voice behind them, catching sight of the Serpents.

With a hand on her waist he moved her around the edge of the trunk and shoved her down pushing her to where Fangs was on the other side. "Get her in then get away from her," he hissed before turning to the thugs that were creeping closer. "You're on our turf," he seethed flicking open his knife as he moved away from the car.

Lane squeezed through the small opening Fangs made in the back door before he closed it behind her and quickly moved to Sweet Pea's side. She looked from her boys to the six guys in studded leather and ripped jeans watching Sweet Pea continue stepping to the left, leading them away from the car.


	5. Chapter 5

Sweet Pea wasn't much for planning, he was too rash and impulsive for that. But since the Northsider came around asking for favors he'd been doing things he normally didn't. The plan was to get her out before the Ghoulies realized she was there, he'd done that. And in doing so she'd get backup, him and Fangs would have a few bruises nothing more.  
A week ago he would've never guessed he'd be depending on a Northsider to have his back, and yet there he stood switchblade in hand staring down six Ghoulies to his two hoping against hope she'd come through for him.

"Where's your buddy goin?" the leader of this specific ragtag group asked as the car pulled away. "Thought you guys didn't leave your men for dead." A series of laughter spread through them as they pulled out their various knives, crowbar, a bat.

Sweet Pea glanced at Fangs and they shared an uneasy look. The shop was ten minutes away, she'd have to floor it there in order to get back while they were still in one piece. God he hated her.

"Come on boys," the Ghoulie said with a sick sneer. "Lets cut the heads off a couple snakes." He charged forward, his eyes shining like the knife in his hand.

The two Serpents braced themselves ready to go down fighting, but they jumped back wide eyed at a car ramming him sending him rolling over the hood where he fell in a heap on the asphalt.

With her head wrapped in a scarf she'd found on the floorboard Lane turned unlocking the door to the backseat for Fangs and Sweet Pea to jump in. Sweet Pea hadn't even gotten the door shut behind him before she peeled out of there, one Ghoulie had turned hitting the passenger's window and there was a large gash in the splintered glass.

"Holy crap that was close," Fangs said out of breath.

Unwinding the scarf from around her face she tossed it and the sunglasses she'd found on the seat beside her. "Yeah that was lucky."

"You were supposed to run," Sweet Pea nearly growled from the seat behind hers. His hands were still shaky, too ready for a fight to realize she had in fact come through for him.

Her knuckles were white from how tight she held the steering wheel, her heart pounding in her chest. It was more alive than she'd felt in years, and after so long it made her want to be sick. "I thought about it."

"And?" he prompted when she didn't elaborate further.

"Obliviously I changed my mind," she said not catching the way he rolled his eyes sulking back in his seat. "Who were they?" she asked only knowing they weren't Serpents.

Looking first to Sweet Pea, who was glaring at the back of her head, Fangs spoke up, "Ghoulies."

She paused, as she was continuously having to do when she heard the names they came up with, but she was too wound up to take this in stride. "Seriously?" she muttered, passing the street that'd take them to the house. "I got over Sweet Pea and Jingle Jangle, now there's ghouls?"

"Ghoulies," Sweet Pea correctly in a harsh bark, it only served to ignite him further his not knowing whether or not he meant it to sound that harsh. "They're a rival gang. Last thing we need is them finding out we're harboring a Northsider." With a sigh he looked out the window wondering where she was going and whether or not she even knew because this wasn't the way to the house. Before he could open his mouth to ask she turned right, and up ahead at the end of the street was the garage. "Why the hell are we going back to the shop?" he demanded, again sounding meaner than he thought he meant to. But there was nothing for him to do with the excess adrenaline from the fight she'd prevented so it spilled out of his mouth.

"Because I'm not parking a car I just hit someone with in the driveway," she told him in the same bored tone she would've used had she told him the time.

She pulled in outside the shop and the three climbed out wearing similar disgruntled expressions, though Fangs paused at the damage done to the window on the passenger's side knowing he was gonna have to pay to have it replaced.

Lane once again found herself jerked backward and she looked up at Sweet Pea's dark eyes. "Why didn't you run?" His face and eyes were hard and closed off, but his voice was soft – he wanted to understand.

"I'm just gonna," Fangs started but neither Sweet Pea nor Lane acknowledged him, "you already forgot I was here," he said shaking his head as he went to get Tall Boy to tell him what happened.

With more calm than she felt she told Sweet Pea, "you were gonna get your ass handed to you, if not worse." She took as breath as though to keep reprimanding him but she huffed a sigh and seemed to shrink. "Thank you," she told him in a quiet voice that made her sound almost sweet.

He blinked realizing she knew he'd done it for her, and he didn't like how honest that felt. She turned for the shop and his hand shot out grabbing her arm again pulling her back, with his head bowed low and hers tipped far back they looked at each other. "You're welcome," he told her sounding for the first time like he meant what he was saying to her. It was as close as he'd let himself get to thanking her.

He let her go and she stepped back, they shared a brief quiet look before she turned away heading into the shop. She met Tall Boy halfway, Fangs had only gotten out that she hit a Ghoulie before he'd gone looking for her. His relief at seeing her in one, tired, piece was clear in his heavy exhale. "What happened?" he asked, ready to listen now that he knew she was okay.

She shrugged leaning her weight on one leg. "I'm not really sure, Sweet Pea got me in the car and told me to get you, him and Fangs were gonna fight but it made more sense bringing the car to them."

"So you hit one of them?" he asked, a faint grin curling his mouth.

She shrugged again looking for all the world like it was just another day. "He said they were a rival gang, did I make it worse?"

With a hand on her back he led her outside, seeing the chunk someone had taken out of the passenger window. "It would've happened whether you'd been there or not," he told her, noticing Sweet Pea leaning against the side of the building behind them – kid had stopped when he saw Lane was with him. "Our boys are fine cause of you. You had our back, that goes a long way here." He'd known since the second day she'd be alright, it had only been a matter of time before she proved it. Knocking her chin gently he stepped back. "Pull her in, we'll get the window fixed, change the plates."

"How much is that gonna cost?" Fangs asked having stopped beside Sweet Pea when he made his way outside.

Tall Boy looked down at Lane the same time she looked up at him, he knew she'd cover the cost whether to say thanks or because she had more money than she'd ever need. "Consider it worker's comp," he said turning back to Fangs.

He was happy enough to take it if it meant he didn't have to come out of pocket, which he couldn't afford. Him and Sweet Pea hung back while Lane drove the car into the spot Tall Boy pointed to. "Does he mean for the stuff we moved?" he asked the boy beside him, not sure what the job was.

Sweet Pea was still watching Lane, seeing the way Tall Boy almost held her hand as she gave him the keys. "It's for her," he answered almost unsettled by how much fondness Tall Boy showed her. Oblivious Fangs nodded realizing she was the job he was being compensated for, it'd only been a week and he was already used to hanging around her.

"You can take my car," Tall Boy told her tossing her his keys. "I'll get a ride."

She nodded turning to where the two boys hovered waiting for her. "I'll do my best not to hit anyone with it."

Tall Boy stopped and stared as she walked away, her tone having been one of unending boredom. "She has a sense of humor now," he called after her.

Craning her neck to look at him over her shoulder she said with a sly grin, "yeah." As soon as she turned back around the smile slipped from her face and she stared with empty eyes as she walked to the car, her boys in tow.

Fangs paused as Sweet Pea sat in the passenger's seat beside her before he climbed in the back. "How do you know where you're going?" he asked as she drove them to the Whyte Wyrm.

"I pay attention."

His theory that she would open up more the longer he spent with her was proving to be incorrect, but even though she still gave simple uncaring answers her voice wasn't hardened in a way that was meant to cut through his good intention. It was subtle, so subtle he missed when it started, but she liked him.

She walked ahead of them into the crowded bar throwing the door open, and as her arm slung back down to her side she cast her eyes about meeting several curious glances at the Northsider who walked with two Serpents on either side of her.

"Was wondering when you guys would show up," Toni said wiping down the bar.

Lane climbed onto the one of the stools and happily accepted the shot Toni slid toward her. "I'm gonna have to open a tab," she said wincing at the burn.

"Already did," Toni said pouring her another.

She threw that back as quick as she had the first. With a finger raised toward her, Lane said, "I knew I liked you."

While the two girls shared a smile Fangs leaned against the bar beside. "So you gonna tell her what happened or should I?" he asked with a grin.

"I hit a ghoul with a car," Lane told her simply, not noticing the way Toni's eyes widened. "Can I have another one?" she asked sliding the glass toward her.

Toni almost laughed at how unaffected she was by all this, wondering briefly if she was capable of feeling. "I'd say you earned it," she answered pouring another shot.

As Lane tipped her head back Fangs said, "she forgot to mention saving both our asses," and pointed between himself and Sweet Pea.

"It wasn't important."

"What the hell do you mean it wasn't important?" Sweet Pea demanded from the other side of Lane.

She looked up at his dark angry eyes. "From what I've gathered the impressive part of this story is me hitting the guy with a car," she told him, watching the heavy rise of his chest as he took a sharp inhale. "Fangs stayed because you stayed. And you stayed for me."

"And that's not important?" he seethed, having let himself start to think she might be alright. He shouldn't have been surprised.

Taking her own steadying breath, instead of mentioning his interrupting her, she calmly told him: "it's only important to me." She watched that settle in his hard eyes softening them if only slightly, it made her hand tighten around the shot glass. She turned back to Toni. "I'm the kind of bothered where I wanna rip my skin off. Pour me another," she told her. "I owe you a dance."

She'd been about to comment on her demanding a drink, but the word dance had her smiling as she poured another shot and watched her down it. Tossing her apron on the counter she sauntered over to where Lane was sliding off the stool. "I should warn you, I dance close," she said grabbing her hand and pulling her away from the bar.

"I'm used to it," Lane told her as she followed. "I'm pretty sure one of my friends is a closeted lesbian." She was satisfied to leave it there but Toni turned with a cocked brow expecting more. "Probably doesn't help she was my first kiss."

Her brow rose higher. "So you're into girls?" she asked finding Lane impossible to read.

"No."

They began swaying to the beat, slow at first but the alcohol was catching up to her and Lane spun, her hips swinging in tune making Toni smile as she moved closer. "You're into guys then?"

"No," Lane told her, her heavy eyes falling closed as she moved with the pulsating rhythm feeling something close to free.

Now she understood, and it honestly was no surprise. "You're not into anyone."

"Not yet."

They moved fluid and graceful around and with each other, moving and grooving until their hearts pounded in time with the bass and they could feel the music in the places they brushed against one another and in the tips of their fingers. They found themselves breathless when the song changed and they turned to each other sharing a smile before Fangs squeezed his way between them. "Mind if I join you ladies?" he asked raising his half full mug of beer to his mouth. It dribbled down his chin as Lane pulled it away and he swallowed what was in his mouth before giving an indignant, "hey."

"You wanna dance you gotta pay for it," she told him taking a large swig.

With a large grin he said, "yes ma'am," hearing Toni chuckle behind him. They danced for most of the song, Lane drinking through half of it with the ferocity of a dying man who hadn't had water in days, but near the end Toni turned from Fangs and found the spot she'd been swaying filled with someone else. She turned and her eyes found Sweet Pea who was hunched over the counter at the bar looking down at where Lane sat looking up at him.

"Already tired of us?" he asked nearly sneering, having noticed her waiting for a moment to slip away. And once her back was to them her face fell and she looked as miserable as she always did.

"I'm tired of this week," she answered honestly, not giving in and arguing as he seemed to always want. Turning back to the cases of alcohol she sighed. "I'd like to drink it away but I don't really wanna do that here."

She looked tired, and he was starting to be able to hear it in her voice. He was left thinking of something Toni had said, about her only coming here because she knew Fangs wanted to. Swallowing a little of his pride he told her, "I'll take you home."

And she turned with such relief that her shoulders sank with a sigh. "Really?"

He was about to open his mouth to say yeah but her eyes shifted to the right of him and he turned, consciously aware of stepping in front of her. This damn Northsider. But he slunk back when he saw Tall Boy, who never even looked his way.

Lane wanted to tell him Sweet Pea was taking her home, she was done with this day she wanted to sleep it off and if she ended up not sleeping it was fine she just wanted to be in bed. But her eyes fell to the phone he held out to her, and she slowly took it wondering what was going on.

"You need to call your boyfriend," he told her.

"She doesn't have a boyfriend."

Both Tall Boy and Lane turned to Sweet Pea, who cleared his throat mumbling about her saying she didn't date before he turned away from them and was instead met with Toni's incredibly amused face. "Shut up," he told her.

"Whatever he is," Tall Boy said looking back to Lane, "he's gonna call the cops tomorrow if he doesn't hear from you. You need to fix this." It was more an order than a suggestion, but his expression was gentle in the way he only seemed to be toward her.

For the length of three deep breaths she was quiet as she thought, but her eyes finally flicked to his and she nodded. "Is there a backroom?" She followed the end of his finger to an alcove a few feet from the door.

With his back still to them Sweet Pea saw her walk around him heading to the office, and he waited seeing the moment she turned back to make sure Tall Boy wasn't looking before she cut for the front door. He looked to Fangs but he'd found someone else to dance with. "Don't look at me," Toni said when he turned to her, "I've got a couple more hours till I'm off."

With a growl he pushed off from the counter and stalked after her, wondering how he kept ending up being the one to look after her. He threw the door open and turned finding her standing on the sidewalk with her arms crossed. "You waited?"

"I figured you'd follow me," she said having seen he was watching her. Without a word she turned on her heel and walked into the night, hearing his reluctant heavy footsteps behind her.

"So what's the plan, are you gonna walk to see your boy?" he asked wondering what she was doing because he wasn't letting her anywhere near the Northside. It'd been a week without a single instance, whoever was after her didn't know she was here and he planned to keep it that way.

She thought a moment before answering, "one of them."

His steps faltered as he figured out what she meant by that, and when he did he quickly caught back up to her and grabbed her arm. "You really think I'm gonna let Jughead take you to see him?"

"I don't want to argue" she cut off turning away from him suddenly feeling like she was drowning, like she'd been treading water for years and she was just too tired to do it anymore.

He stood back seeing tears flood her eyes and his irritable expression melted to one of guilty surprise. "Oh crap. Hey, I didn't mean to,"

"You didn't," she said wanting him to stop talking, and for this to stop happening. She looked at the dark sky taking slow deep breaths until it passed and she blinked looking back to him. "It just keeps happening," she said on a heavy sigh. "I'm going," she told him. "Either come with me or go back. It's your choice."

Having nothing else to say she walked away, her arms crossed tight around her, and her eyes on the ground. She could still feel it, the lump in her throat and the water in her eyes, and the weight on her thin shoulders that made her feel like if she stopped moving for one second and let herself think she'd fall through the floor. But she could hear him behind her again, softer this time, unsure. Whether it was the comfort of having him there or the need for him not to see it, she took a breath and pushed it aside. And when she was sure it wouldn't come flooding back she slowed her pace and waited for him to catch up.

He should've taken the chance to rid himself of her, he didn't like her, he had no obligation to her. He didn't know why he stayed, or even why he kept coming back. All he knew for sure was he didn't want to make her cry again.

They walked together in a silence that was almost comfortable, their being together almost didn't feel forced. They were almost.

…

A sudden loud banging on his door had him on his feet reaching for the nearest thing to use as a weapon. Though at the sight of Sweet Pea's perpetually angry face he pulled the door open. "Sweet Pea," Jughead greeted though it sounded more a question.

Staring him down Sweet Pea responded: "don't look at me, this is her show."

As though noticing her for the first time Jughead turned to where Lane stood on the step to Sweet Pea's right. "What happened?" he asked thinking the worst. Not just because she was there but also because she was only with Sweet Pea and the two really hadn't seemed to like each other.

"Reggie's been leaving voice mails," she said getting straight to the point, the only way she knew how to be. "In his latest one he said he's going to police if he doesn't hear from me."

She wanted a ride, Jughead realized. Which was simple enough but it didn't explain why she was there. "Why are you coming to me?" he asked, glancing at the boy beside her who he knew had a bike.

"You were the only one I knew I could convince to take me, and if not you'll let me take your dad's truck."

It was making more sense now and he scoffed a short unamused laugh. "You sure you want me and not just the truck?"

"I'd like both but I'll settle with the truck."

She was forthcoming as always. Jughead stared at her a moment before one particularly large exhale had him giving in. "Never change Lanie," he muttered grabbing his jacket and keys before locking the door behind him.

The three sat cramped in the front seat, Jughead behind the wheel Sweet Pea on the passenger's side, and Lane squeezed between them. Two were content to sit in silence but Jughead glanced at them every so often feeling like a third wheel.

"You know if someone is looking for you going back doesn't seem like a good idea," Jughead said thinking there had to be more than just seeing Reggie, she didn't even act like she liked him that much.

Beside her Sweet Pea agreed. "Yeah I tried that already."

Lane rolled her eyes sick of being questioned. "You suggesting I didn't think this through?" she asked in a barely level tone turning to Jug.

"I wouldn't dream of it," was Jughead's sardonic response. But he didn't push further because she was starting to sound annoyed, and it wasn't like her to sound anything but half dead.

"I would."

With her eyes on the ceiling she turned to Sweet Pea seeing his eyes were once more hardened toward her. "It's been too long for a phone call, he's worried." This time she turned back to Jug. "Reggie," she added for emphasis.

He paused at that as he turned into the north side of town. "Yeah that is unusual for him."

Quiet fell around them again, Jughead and Lane passed by unbothered by the familiar surroundings, but Sweet Pea stared out of place as they passed alleys nicer than anything he'd ever lived in.

"Turn right up here," Lane told Jug. "Third house on the left." She pulled out her phone, finding it surprising how much she hadn't really missed it, and texted Reggie that she was outside. "Park there," she said pointing to the side of the road that was heavily shadowed by the large trees that loomed above it.

Jughead did as told and flipped the headlights off and waited, turning to watch Lane swing her legs over Sweet Pea's lap as she slid over him and out of the car. Sweet Pea had refused to move not wanting to make this easy for her, but as she climbed over him his eyes fell to her waist and reached for her back pocket.

As her feet hit the ground she turned, having felt his hand brush her backside, and saw her phone in his hand. She waited as he punched in a number and watched him pull out his now lit up phone. "Keep it on," he told her handing her phone back to her. "You're sure he wouldn't give you up?" he asked thinking this might be a trap to get her out in the open. His hands curled to fists to keep from dragging her back in the truck.

"Yeah I considered it," she admitted seeing his small nod, feeling a faint bit of assurance at knowing she at least thought of it. It was still in the back of her mind as she cut across the dark street to his driveway.

The two boys sat watching her with the phone between them, Jughead noting the way Sweet Pea sat with one foot out the door ready to get her if anything went down. Jughead didn't understand the two and their obvious distaste for the other when coupled with how easily they were able to move around and with each other.  
They watched Reggie emerge from the house leaving the door open as he met her in the middle of the lawn. And they saw how quickly he moved to pull her into a tight hug, and the way she stood with arms held up as though to hug him back but she never did.

"Where the hell have you been?" they heard him ask over the speaker of Sweet Pea's phone.

"I can't tell you that."

He pulled back looking down at her. "I haven't heard from you in a week, and when I finally say I'm going to the cops you suddenly show up and still won't tell me anything. You know, Lane, that is just like you."

He was right, whether she liked it or not, more than that she could hear somewhere inside him he was hurt that she didn't care more. So she sighed, and though she was already trying she tried harder. "Things are bad for me right now," she admitted seeing his self righteous indignation melt to quiet confusion. "If anyone asks tell them I'm with Rebecca, she was in Florence the last time I talked to her. You can't let anyone know I'm still here."

"They'll come after you," he finished for her.

But she was shaking her head, her eyes having fallen to his chest as she thought. "They'll come after you too," she said glancing up at him to see the way that softened his usual cocky façade. "I'm safe, that's all I can tell you."

He didn't know what was happening only that something was, this is what she needed. So he nodded, he'd agree to whatever she told him. He was surprised by her rising on her tip toes and winding her arms around her shoulders, and his hands were slow to come around her back but he held her close.

"Thank you for caring," she told him softly.

He took an audible breath heard on the other end of the phone, and said in a voice made to sound put out, "yeah well someone has to."

It made her smile. Her hand came around the back of his head holding him there before she took a breath and let him go turning back to the car. This time Sweet Pea got out so that she slide back to the middle. "You two seem close," he commented as they made their way back to the south side.

She shrugged. "We used to be but we grew apart."

"What brought you back together?" he asked staring out of the window, acting like he wasn't interested the same was she did by giving such short answers.

She blinked remembering a night she'd rather forget. "Someone slipped something into my drink," she said catching the sharp way he turned to her in her peripheral, "Reggie stopped him before he did anything." That was only half true, but there were details she'd never elaborate on and it was easier to brush over them and pretend like they didn't exist.

"That was a few months ago, right?" Jughead asked seeing her nod. "I remember Archie telling me about it, he beat that guy to a pulp."

She stared out of the windshield blankly, still and quiet. "Yeah," she breathed. He opened his mouth to say something else, noticing something was off, but she was quick to cut him off. "You know I'd really like to get drunk enough to forget this week."

There's quiet between the three of them before Sweet Pea told her, "I know a place that'll sell to us."

"Really?" she asked turning with the same relieved hope as she had when he offered to take her home earlier. When he nodded she slumped back in the seat. "Oh thank god."

Beside her Jughead almost laughed. "That bad?" he asked wondering how it was for her, because so far the only reason Sweet Pea was in this car with him was because she was there.

Slinging her head to the side to look at him she replied, "if he comes through for me this'll be the best thing that's happened to me all week." It wasn't really the drinking that she wanted, not the way most people wanted to be drunk because it was fun; it was like sleep, which she still wasn't getting much of, in there'd be a length of time where she didn't have to think. "You guys don't have school tomorrow," she said realizing it was Friday, that at some point after she started going with Tall Boy to the garage everyday school was only a distant thought.

"Nope," Sweet Pea and Jughead said at nearly the same time.

She nodded mostly to herself arriving at a thought. "You should invite Fangs over."

"Why, do you like him?" was Sweet Pea's immediate, closed off, response. He didn't know if she actually liked Fangs, only that she liked Fangs more than him.

She shrugged not really knowing that herself. "He'll pout if we leave him out and I don't have the patience to deal with that. Toni too, and before either of you ask it's mostly for you," she pointed to Jug, "because I am not nice enough to be the only one who likes you."

To her right Sweet Pea chuckled quietly. "So you are aware."

"Stop acting surprised, I told you the first day I was bitch."

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, faintly grinning at how readily she opposed him. It took him a moment too long to remember he wasn't supposed to like her and he quickly straightened himself and pulled away.

.^.

The next morning Jughead and Toni stood in the doorway to Tall Boy's house, his hair going in every direction his shirt inside out, and beside him Toni squinted at the too bright sun wrapped in Sweet Pea's shirt she'd found lying on the floor. The details of last night were vague. Neither of them remembered who suggested the drinking game that ended in them all in some state of undress only that Jughead had woken on the floor and Toni was curled on the couch in her underwear covered by the jacket he didn't remember draping over her.

"They are never gonna live this down," Toni said with a groggy smile as she pulled out her phone.

"Stop yelling," Jughead grumbled barely able to hear himself over the loud throbbing in his head.

Sprawled on the lawn in front of them lay Fangs, Lane and Sweet Pea wearing nothing but each other. Lane was face down on the grass, her head laying on the arm Sweet Pea had curled under her, his own head lay between her shoulder blades drooling down her back, and further down in the space between them was Fangs with his arms wrapped around her legs using her ass as a pillow. Toni chuckled to herself faintly snapping a picture.

"Are we dead?" Fangs groaned without opening his eyes.

"Unfortunately no," Lane mumbled against Sweet Pea's arm. With her head aching like it'd split open she shifted her weight feeling the grass unstick form her skin. "Why are we naked?"

Sweet Pea, ever one to focus on important details, sighed against her back, "I hate you."


	6. Chapter 6

"I'm cold," Lane said for the second time since they entered the store, now they stood near a refrigerated unit and the goosebumps were easy to see along her arms.

Pushing the cart Sweet Pea rolled his eyes so hard she almost heard it. "Are you saying that because you want me to offer you my jacket?" he asked having no plans of doing so.

"You can have mine," Fangs offered shuffling unnoticed behind them.

But Lane was looking up at Sweet Pea with hard eyes and a deep frown. "I'm saying it because you didn't bring me one." She caught him rolling his eyes again. "I have an entire section in my closet of sweaters and you brought me one long sleeve shirt, which I've already worn."

"So you're just being annoying."

"Took you long enough," she muttered grabbing a container of guacamole and dropping it in the cart Sweet Pea pushed beside her.

With his arms on the handle he was hunched over the cart following her around the store, gathering from the salsa and guacamole they were having Mexican for dinner. It'd quickly become a habit that the boys would take her to the store and stay for dinner, enjoying an actual meal, having simple conversations that soon turned to bickering between her and Sweet Pea. He stood beside her taking the sour cream she held out for him as she looked through the different shredded cheeses, in doing so he felt how cold her hands were.

"Fine," he said through grit teeth.

She turned with furrowed brows to see him holding out his leather Serpent jacket. "I'm not wearing your jacket," she said tossing the cheese in and moving on.

"Not good enough for you?" he demanded, his hand tightening to a fist.

"I didn't earn it," she answered simply, her gaze straying down aisles as they slowly passed them by. It shifted to him and she pulled at the lapel of the plaid button down he wore over his t-shirt. "I'd wear that."

Making a show of throwing his jacket on the cart, mumbling to himself about damn entitled Northsiders, he handed her the shirt and watched her stuff her short arms through the sleeves. She looked like a kid wearing her father's clothes, the hem falling near the back of her knees: but she folded the sleeves back so they hung around her wrists and carried on as she always seemed to.

Behind them Fangs smiled to himself enjoying these little stubborn moments between them, and he watched her wordlessly point to a display of tortilla chips set at the end of the aisle and the way Sweet Pea grabbed a bag without fuss.

"Chicken or beef?" Lane asked them looking at the meat section. Sweet Pea answered chicken the same times Fangs said beef, and as they all knew she would she grabbed a package of ground beef.

Two hours later they sat at Tall Boy's kitchen, who'd called to say he'd be home late, stuffing their faces with tacos with the boys talking about Fangs taking out some Northsider to 'earn his stripes.' There was a big chunk of that conversation Lane let slip past her, knowing anything she said would offend them and she wasn't feeling like it that night.

"You should show Lane, see if she knows him," Fangs said reaching for the chips.

Lane turned from Fangs to Sweet Pea wanting to decline, thinking she probably did know him and that she didn't want to see whatever this was. But Sweet Pea was already pulling out his phone and she sighed leaning over his shoulder to see it was a video. "Oh my god," she grumbled at the sight of Archie surrounded by group of shirtless guys with red hoods covering their faces.

" _This is a message for the coward calling himself the black hood: you think you can attack us from the shadows, but Riverdale is a lot stronger than you and we're not afraid. See there's only one of you, but we are legion."_

"This is the dumbest," she muttered rolling her eyes as she paused the video so she didn't have to listen anymore. She didn't know what exactly he'd been going for but she could guess he at some point had developed both a flare for dramatics and a death wish.

Beside her Sweet Pea smirked at her clear disdain, the same way he always did when she scoffed at other Northsiders. "I take it you know him?" he asked seeing her nod as she stared at the paused video. "Yeah well I caught your boy tagging our turf with that Red Circle crap, then the asshole pulled a gun on me."

She turned to him with her brows raised in surprise, thinking maybe Archie was more than the nice idiot she'd always pegged him for. "What are you gonna do about that?" she asked knowing him well enough at this point to know he wouldn't let that go.

"You really wanna know?" he asked knowing she'd be against it. She was too level headed for a fight, and he'd noticed that she was almost getting to the point where she could talk him down.

He made a good point and she turned back to his phone tapping the screen to keep it from turning off, her gaze fixed on the boy sitting on the couch beside Archie. "You can tell me later," she said sounding distracted as a crease etched between her brows.

Both boys watched her seeing her eyes circle the screen but Fangs was the one to ask, "like what you see?"

She pointed to the guy she kept coming back to. "That's Reggie."

Sweet Pea leaned closer brushing against her back as he looked over her shoulder at the screen. "Football team?" he asked realizing she knew more than he'd thought.

She recognized the shape of a lot of them, which was just about all she knew about them anyway. With a tired whine she climbed to her feet and started grabbing their plates. "I will not nurse your pride if you get your ass kicked," she told them both before heading to the kitchen to clean. Proving she did know him and knew he'd go looking for a fight.

Fangs joined her in the kitchen as he'd been doing the last several nights to help, and Sweet Pea threw himself on the couch with his feet on the coffee table finding something on TV.

It was close to midnight when Tall Boy got home, unsurprised to find the car still parked outside the house or that they were all passed out in front of the TV. She was curled up on one side of the couch using the armrest as a pillow, Fangs was slumped over with his head on her hip, and half sitting on the floor with his back against the couch was Sweet Pea who slept with his head against the armrest Lane was using.

He was pretty sure the only time she got any sleep was when these boys were with her. Shaking his head Tall Boy headed for the bedroom.

.^.

A tap on her foot had Lane sliding out from the under the car she was giving the last run through before they sent it off, and she looked up to see Toni's pretty face as she smiled down at her. "You look cute in uniform," Toni told her, offering a hand to help her up.

With the back of her dirty hand Lane brushed the hair off her sweat-damned forehead. "I try," she said grabbing a rag and letting the guy she'd been working with know where she left off. He was a quiet skinny bald man, and the most she knew about him was that he had a large black widow tattooed on his neck and was appropriately nicknamed Spyder. Leaving him she looked to Toni. "Do I need to ask why they're not picking me up?"

There were a few things about that question that made Toni grin: that Lane knew what Sweet Pea was doing, that she didn't really seem to care he was gonna fight with a Northsider she apparently knew, and the way she said 'they're' when only Fangs was assigned to her like she just accepted the fact that Sweet Pea wasn't going anywhere. "Probably not," Toni answered. "Fangs did want me to apologize that he was missing dinner."

Lane shrugged tossing the rag in a bin and heading to the back to change. "It was just leftovers from the last two nights, tacos and barbeque. You are more than welcome to take their place." Lane turned to see Toni's eyes had wandered and she sighed before pulling on the oversized long sleeve shirt Tall Boy had let her wear that morning.

Toni wasn't really into her, she'd thought about it briefly but she was willing to place bets on who had already caught Lane's unhappy eye. "Mind if I bring my own tagalong?" she asked as they walked back through the garage to where Jughead leaned against the car Fangs let her use. The sky was a dark grey, it looked like it was gonna rain.

"I was actually gonna see Betty," Jughead said seeing the way Toni frowned before he turned to Lane.

"What happened to your face?"

He chuckled only half amused by the blunt edge in her tone, never one to waste time with formalities. "Good to see you too Lane," he told her seeing the way she pursed her mouth displeased. "Some Ghoulies jumped me at the school." He watched her nod as she walked passed him wondering how she was getting through this better than he was.

The two girls walked to the car Fangs had borrowed, that he'd let Toni borrow to drive her around, and Jughead headed for his bike. "I guess I'll see you both later," he told them, getting only one goodbye.

Lane watched him drive off and asked, "what was the point of him coming?"

"Hell if I know," Toni said slinking around to the driver's side.

The two got along well enough, Lane was a bit too serious for her liking but she had a quirky if not dark sense of humor. They'd cleaned up dinner and were lounging on the couch hearing faint rumbles of thunder when someone knocked on the door. Out of habit Lane turned to the Serpent who'd been tasked with guarding her, but Toni only shrugged and said, "you're the one staying here."

Standing on the doorstep bruised and soaked was Fangs, who looked up at her with a guilty smile that quickly fell. Lane sighed opening the door wider so he could come in, at the sight of him Toni jumped up looking him over and went to grab a wet rag for his split lip. Lane leaned against the wall watching him without sympathy as he told Toni the fight had included the Bulldogs, the only part of his story that surprised her was Veronica Lodge firing a gun.

A flicker of light outside caught her attention and Lane peeked through the blinds seeing a cop car parked on the side of the road. "Guys," she said feeling them come up behind her and hearing Fangs swear under his breath.

"We need to hide you," Toni said knowing that officer was from the Northside, and more important than getting Fangs out was making sure no one saw Lane.

Toni tried for the bathroom but Lane pulled away and headed for the closet in Tall Boy's room hearing a harsh knock on the front door. She shouldered her way behind the shirts hanging up and listened as a deputy asked Toni where Fangs was by first name and that an unnamed source said he'd find Fangs here. "Hey," she heard Toni yell, "he's not fighting back." Lane heard a thud and her eyes closed in defeat imaging the way Fangs had been thrown to the ground and handcuffed.

At the sound of heavy boots coming down the small hall she held her breath hearing the click of the bathroom light being turned on and the shrill metal scrape of the shower curtain being pushed back. The bedroom light cut on and she waited with her back pressed to the closet wall staring through the small spaces between the shirts watching as the deputy pulled back the sheets on the bed and looked under it. There was no door to the small three foot closet to catch his eye and make him wonder so he only glanced at it in passing not seeing Lane's legs from the way the frame blocked them.

Scowling Toni slammed the door shut after him and pulled out her phone calling Sweet Pea. While it rang Toni headed for the closet, thankful for Lane's quick thinking, and as Sweet Pea's voicemail picked up Toni pushed Tall Boy's shirts aside to see Lane's pale face. "Hey," she said gently hanging up and reaching for her.

"I'm fine," Lane was quick to say as she bolted from the closet. But she wasn't. The way the light from the room had looked through the space between two shirts had been so similar to the crack in the closet door she'd looked through years ago. And suddenly her mind was thrown back in a memory she'd tried to lock away: of a loud crack of thunder and her father's body on the floor, of the front closet she was hiding in being forced open and a pair of jean-clad legs bending to get closer to her height, of long blonde almost brown hair ticking her arm as a kind hand covered her eyes to keep her from seeing.

It was strange for Lane to be anything but deadly calm, and as much as Toni knew something was wrong she didn't have time for it. "Sweet Pea's not answering, I'm gonna try to find him," she said hoping to warn him before he was dragged in too, if he hadn't been already.

"Okay," Lane told her wanting her gone, wanting to be alone. "I'll call Tall Boy on the house phone, I'll be fine."

Toni didn't know if she believed her, she was trembling as she held her arms tightly around herself. All Toni could do was squeeze her shoulder as she headed out, calling Sweet Pea again.

As soon as she was gone Lane slumped against the wall feeling her chest heave as she tried to breathe. It didn't make any sense. She'd always remembered her step mother being the one to find her, to run through the door and drop to her knees holding Lane as she cried – but that was during the time Rebecca had the long thin black braids Lane had always found beautiful.

Her chin quivered and she took a long steadying breath but when she exhaled her shoulders shook, and she held in the sob like she was holding her breath and waited until it loosened its hold on her just enough that she could breathe again. The air passed shakily through her nose and she leaned her head back against the wall with her face upturned to the ceiling and started counting. By forty two her tense shoulders had relaxed and she was breathing easier, and it was enough.

She opened her eyes looking at the ceiling wondering when this would stop. With a heavy sigh she moved to the couch and found something to fill her too-loud mind with other than her thoughts, and it was enough. And even though it wasn't, it had to be.

She'd just comfortably settled back, her mind finally beginning to calm, when the door burst open stealing her breath again as she jumped. Wide eyed she looked up at where Sweet Pea stood staring down at her heaving, and he blinked before he turned shutting himself in the bathroom. Her eyes were on the puddle he'd left on the floor for several moments before she released a breath and gave an exasperated, "okay."

Grabbing the phone in the kitchen she rifled through the drawer looking for the paper she'd written several of their numbers on and called Toni. "He's here," Lane said by way of greeting.

"Are you kidding me?" Toni said standing outside of his trailer.

"No," Lane told her before hanging up and walking quietly to the bathroom. She stood outside it contemplating whether or not to go in before she finally relented and opened the door.

He was sitting on the lid of the toilet hunched over looking at his hands, and without looking up at her he asked, "it ever occur to you I don't want you around?"

Unbothered by his sharp tone she replied; "you wouldn't be here if that were true."

Expelling a rush of air through his nose he curled his hands to fists and let his head hang, feeling water drip down the back of his neck from his wet hair. "It's only a matter of time," he told her in an almost soft voice. "They took most of us in already, I'm pretty sure they got Fangs."

She chanced stepping closer. "He was here when they arrested him."

"Did anyone see you?" he asked looking up at her, not seeing any sign of worry on her unusually gentle face.

Shaking her head she leaned against the edge of the counter less than a foot away from where he sat looking almost defeated. "Fangs said there was a fight, my guy was one of them."

He gave a breath of a laugh letting himself harden toward her. "This the part where you say I told you so?" he seethed knowing she'd been against him going after the Northsider. But she held out her hand and he wilted, wondering when they'd gotten to know each other this well. He pulled her phone from his pocket and handed it to her, and she set it on the counter before the weight of her watchful eyes brought him down. He suddenly couldn't look at her anymore.

"Is that all you came for?" she asked, and felt no surprise when he didn't answer. With a nod she told him, "I've developed something of a drinking problem so I've got bottles in excess. You look like you need a drink." She didn't know why she did it, she wasn't one for casual contact, but she reached a hand to his shoulder. And she flinched at how quickly he grabbed her wrist.

He didn't shove her away, wouldn't look at her – he held her hand level with his cheek, his head tilted toward it as though he wanted that gentle touch. Wearing a face that looked like he was in pain he pulled her to him, and as she stepped in the place between his legs his arms snuck around her waist gathering her against him, almost shyly asking her to hold him.

This was why he'd come. And she stood with her arms held at her sides staring down at the top of his wet head as it rested against her chest for several deep breaths before her timid hands settled over his shoulders. A breath went out of him as her arms came around his back and he shifted his position to fit more against her and held her closer.

Toni found them there, turned into each other. He held them together but her head was bowed resting over his, she had one arm slung around his shoulder with his shirt clenched in her small hand and with the other she cupped his almost peaceful face. There was something so sadly intimate between them and she hated to ruin it. "Cops are coming." She watched the haze surrounding them shatter and fall apart, his eyes opening and his arms loosening around her, and her leaning back so there was space to breathe and time to remember they weren't supposed to like each other.

He stood walking past her, and Toni looked from him to where Lane stood now holding her phone. "What are you doing?" she asked choosing to follow Sweet Pea.

"Getting them away from this house," he answered stepping outside, hearing sirens and seeing bright flashing lights turning into the neighborhood.

She watched him cut across the street intentionally letting them see him so they'd follow, so they wouldn't stop and search the house further because there was no way they'd miss Lane again. Closing the door she turned finding Lane leaning over a counter in the kitchen, and she stepped closer hearing her soft voice and seeing she had a notepad.

"That sounded like a hospital code, where are you?" she asked already knowing from Fangs that a Northsider had been stabbed.

"It was," Reggie told her, his head in his hand as he held his phone to his ear. He found himself wishing she was there, thinking she had either the best or worst timing to check in.

"It's not you is it?"

He laughed to himself at how much that sounded like her, only asking about the details she cared about. "No, it's Dilton."

She leaned back like she'd been hit, her brows so furrowed they almost touched, her mouth slightly open. She wrote his name on the notepad feeling Toni close at her back. "Guess he's not that good of a survivalist," she said hoping to goad the answers she wanted out of him.

"Jesus Lane," he muttered to himself hating how callous she could be. "We had a fight with the Serpents."

"Why were you on the Southside?"

"They came to us," he exclaimed, louder and meaner than he meant. "They came looking for a fight, I don't know what happened, I guess he stabbed himself."

There was a short pause as she jotted down bits of what he said, and she quickly scribbled that last piece before asking: "what are you gonna do about that?" already guessing along the lines of his answer.

Watching over her shoulder Toni saw her write, _pin on Serpent_. Lane had gotten what they needed, she took it further asking if Doiley was there who had else had joined the fight: and she wrote every name Reggie naively gave her. It was more than they'd have otherwise, it was information they could work with.

"What now?" Toni asked after Lane hung up. She was ready to go down to the police station and demand they be released, knowing full well they didn't take a single Northsider in for questioning.

"We wait til morning," Lane told her grabbing the notepad. "After they've asked all their questions. You go now they'll still be hoping for something incriminating, wait til they have nothing."

Toni found herself nodding, glad for her level headedness because it sounded right. She also noticed the front of Lane's shirt was damp from Sweet Pea, that Lane herself didn't seem to notice. "Then?"

They sat on the couch and Lane turned to her. "Then you go in and rub it in their face they have no cause to hold them, and that's when they'll listen to you when you demand they be released."

"You make it sound so easy," Toni said thinking Lane, as a Northsider, didn't know how hard it would be to cut through the discrimination.

But Lane accounted for that through the specific details she'd gotten out of Reggie. "It'd be easier if I could do it, but I'm not for obvious reasons."

Toni nodded agreeing with that, her knowing the sheriff would also probably help if Lane weren't in hiding. "So?" she asked wanting more than what Lane was distractingly giving as she looked through her few notes.

"So you're gonna sit there and look cute and I'm gonna come up with what you'll say tomorrow."

With a faint smile Toni sat back and took a breath as she watched Lane's closed off face as she began writing. It was strange how confident Toni felt in her being able to fix this considering she was going against her own boys. But Lane was, and it let Toni relax enough that she fell asleep while watching TV.  
The sun was just barely starting to come up when Toni began to stir, and she turned to see Lane sitting on the floor with her arm propped up on the coffee table and her cheek in hand. "Hey," she said hitting her arm.

"I'm done," Lane said as she jerked awake. With a groan she stretched her back rubbing her tired eyes and tried again, "I figured it out." There were at least five crumpled pages littered around her.

Taking the notepad Toni looked it over and ended it with a smile. "Oh my god, this might actually work."

Lane gave a short nod as she stood on stiff legs. "Don't sound argumentative," she told her. "Act like you're being reasonable." This was the part that Lane should be doing, what to say was all well and good but the way it was said and how irritated the cop became was what would make or break the whole thing.

"Oh honey I've got this," Toni said grinning, seeing Lane's reluctant smile.

Unsatisfied Lane watched her leave feeling like she should be the one going, and that she was somehow responsible for both the north and south sides. She still hadn't figured out how she was going to get the hit off of her, besides one very terrible idea she continued to refuse, but whenever she did go back she knew she was gonna miss this.

.^.

With a friendly smile curled on her mouth Toni sauntered through the door of the sheriff's office and moved to stand in front of the deputy on duty. "I'm here to pick up my guys."

"They haven't been released yet."

Toni turned to the broad-shouldered graying man she thought might've been the sheriff now standing in the doorway, and she nodded like she understood that. "So we're doing twenty-four hours without a charge then," she said amicably.

Sheriff Keller came around the desk eyeing the short young woman, having caught sight of the snake on her jacket when she got out of her car. "I assure you, we have more than enough evidence to continue holding them," he told her, honestly surprised it'd taken the Serpents this long to come after their boys.

Toni nodded again, her smile curling wider. "Of course," she said as though she agreed. "And I'm sure that extends to the Northsiders as well." He was opening his mouth to cut her off but she carried on as instructed.

"I ca-"

"Because I have the names of all parties involved if you need them." She watched him inhale sharply as his face hardened. "I'm guessing you've already questioned the boy who stabbed himself with his own knife." She caught his heavy swallow and grinned. "So we can do the full twenty-four hours if you like. I will be calling a lawyer who will demand interviews with your football team and the girl who fired the gun, and if you need the name of who gave her it I have that too. Or," she paused seeing, as had been noted, the way he took a breath as though preparing himself, "you can let my guys walk the same way you did yours."

He was quiet for several long moments as he stared her down, even that Lane noted, and when the girl didn't give in it was his turn. They could pin a few different charges on the Serpents, but as she was alluding to not without bringing in his own boys. And with the increasingly colder Black Hood case it didn't seem like the right time for this.

Toni leaned against the counter looking particularly smug as her disgruntled Serpents were released. "Keep walking," she warned Sweet Pea when he turned to retaliate against the hand that shoved him.

There were several cars in the lot belonging to them, each with a Serpent standing by the driver's side waiting for the boys that ambled out of the sheriff's office. Fangs and Sweet Pea followed Toni, who took the passenger's seat leaving Fangs to drive and Sweet Pea to sulk in the back.

"Not that I'm complaining, but how'd you do it?" Fangs asked as they returned to their side of town.

Toni pulled the folded lined paper from her pocket. "I had a script."

"Let me see that," Sweet Pea said taking it from her and looking it over. It was written in neatly looped cursive, and it wasn't Toni's. "Son of a bitch," he scoffed realizing she'd come through for him again.

While Toni smiled at how quickly he'd figured it out, Fangs glanced back at him. "What?"

Toni turned to him as well when he didn't respond, his eyes scanning her writing. "It was Lane," she answered Fangs.

Not only did Lane come up with what to say she'd even anticipated how the sheriff would respond versus a deputy, and how Toni needed to react accordingly. If Sweet Pea were anyone else he'd think something along the lines of, he had to give her credit, but the problem was that he didn't give her credit and he was starting realize he should.

…

They found her where they always did, at the shop with Tall Boy. Only she was doing what he normally did and was getting the cars in the garage and telling who to do what. She might've been small and her voice might've been sweet, but her tone was stern and her eyes dared to be tested. And with Tall Boy looming behind her with his arms crossed his men nodded when they heard their name and took their place at their designated stations. At a shadow hovering in her peripheral she looked up to see Sweet Pea's irritable bruised face.

"Am I supposed to thank you?" he demanded rudely.

Her brow cocked as she turned to fully address him. "I don't care what you do," she told him simply. "I'm staying today, I'll see you tonight or tomorrow. Congratulations, you've got the day off."

Toni looked between them sighing deeply, having thought last night's display meant they'd moved past this, but her bitter words and his dark eyes said otherwise. "Hey," she warned when he marched forward, too slow to catch him.

Grabbing her arm in what was becoming a familiar pattern he jerked her back so that she caught herself against him. Her head was tipped back and his was bowed low and their burning eyes met. "I'll see you tonight," he told her in a level tone that didn't offer refusal.

He caught the faintest smirk curling one corner of her mouth in a way he might've thought infuriating. "Fine," she agreed. And when she stepped away he let her go, and she found her way to Tall Boy who'd let the moment happen without intervening out of nothing more than curiosity.

When Sweet Pea turned back to Fangs and Toni the latter was grinning while the former stared with wide eyes and his mouth gaping. "Shut up," he told them both.

Still wearing the same surprised expression Fangs turned to Toni who laughed as she said: "you thought that was hot, wait til I tell you what I walked in on last night."


	7. Chapter 7

Going to Lane was a last ditch attempt, but after hearing how serious Sweet Pea and the others were about bombing the Riverdale Register Jughead didn't know who else to turn to. Because even though Toni was against it she wasn't trying to stop them. But Lane was level-headed and as unflappable as a corpse, if anything she'd at least douse the fire a little.

"Need something?" Tall Boy asked when he spotted the kid standing at the edge of the garage looking around.

"Yeah I was looking for Lane."

Staring him down Tall Boy finally nodded and jerked his head to the office behind him. "She's in the back."

With a quick thanks Jughead moved along the wall til he found the door to the back office, and he paused in the doorway at the sight of her sitting in front of a laptop and a stack of papers with Fangs and Sweet Pea on either side of her.

"Come to try to talk us out of it again?" Sweet Pea demanded through his teeth.

Glancing up at Jughead briefly she turned to address the volatile boy beside her. "Twenty minutes without you being mean, I think that might be a record," she said seeing him roll his eyes but he sat back with an unhappy smirk glaring up at Jughead, which was mildly better. "Hey," she greeted simply, offering Jughead a small look before she turned back to the disorganized books she was trying to balance.

"Hey," he said in return, feeling two untrusting pairs of eyes heavy on his face. "How are you?"

Removing the top page from the pile in front of her she set it on the one in front of Sweet Pea. Without looking up at Jughead she said, "that's not why you're here."

He laughed quietly at how much that was like her and stepped further into the office seeing the way Sweet Pea shifted in his seat as though ready to leap to his feet. "Did they tell you what they were planning?"

"She knows about the bomb, if that's what you're asking," Sweet Pea said not giving her a chance to respond. He was tired of Jughead choosing his precious Northsiders, even Lane was sticking up for the Serpents and she didn't share blood.

She still wasn't paying attention to him, her eyes were on the paper as she entered something into the calculator, then she was putting that into the computer and setting the paper aside. "How do you feel about that?" Jughead asked her, looking for any sort of reaction. She was logical if nothing else, she'd be against this.

"Is that really what you wanna ask me?"

What little patience he had was quickly lost as she still didn't look up, she was being difficult for the sake of it. "Cut the crap Lane," he told her firmly.

"Hey," Sweet Pea barked in a loud rough voice that startled Jughead but made Fangs grin as he quietly watched the show eating the cheetos he'd gotten from the vending machine. "You came to her not the other way around. Don't look at me like that, your old man would tell you the same."

With a sigh Lane said, "what he's trying to say is you can come here asking for a favor, but don't try to cover that by pretending you're here for anything else. Now what do you want?"

He looked between the two realizing she might be more help than he'd first thought, if Sweet Pea listened to her as much as he came to her defense she might talk him down. "I was hoping you'd convince Sweet Pea to hold off on blowing up the Register until I can talk to Archie and figure this out."

She blinked steadily up at him before turning to Sweet Pea and telling him in her perpetually expressionless monotone voice, "don't do it, it's a bad idea." She held his stare for several long moments, her gaze shifting to the bruise surrounding his eye, before she asked, "are you convinced?"

"No," was his quick answer.

With a small shrug she turned back to Jughead. "I tried," before she picked up another paper and began adding the numbers. Beside her Sweet Pea nearly smiled.

Jug laughed again though this time it wasn't out of fondness for her, and he found none of it funny. "You know out of everyone I really thought you'd care more." This time she turned to him with a displeased look and he sighed wilting. "Yeah I heard it as I said it," he gave in, knowing if she could she'd stop caring entirely. It left him with only one option, because Sweet Pea was right when he'd said earlier that he couldn't be half a Serpent.

It was settled then, so Sweet Pea half turned back to Lane. "How long are you gonna be?" he asked for the third time since they got there an hour ago.

"I told you to let Tall Boy take me to the Wyrm," she said, her attention once more on the job Tall Boy asked her to do.

Jughead watched him sulk back still looking at her, and on her other side Fangs tossed a cheeto at her that missed and instead hit the table sliding closer to where Sweet Pea sat. She didn't seem to notice as she added several different receipts on the calculator before inputting the data. The next one he lobbed at her stuck in her hair, and Jughead watched the unbothered way she picked it out of her hair and ate it. It'd only taken her two weeks to integrate herself, he was still struggling.

"Do you need anything else?" Sweet Pea asked when he looked up to see Jughead still there, and his tone wasn't offering help.

"He means we'll see you later," Lane said before either boy could say anything further.

Releasing a warm breath Sweet Pea sat back again with his head turned toward her. "That's not what I meant," he told her, catching the way her mouth pursed. He noticed it did that a lot.

"And that's why I didn't clarify," she said casually, without enough bite for him to get mad about. But her mind caught a thought and she looked up at Jughead who'd stepped back. "Unless I'm in a bad mood I'll never ask you to leave."

This time his scoff of a laugh was more genuine, finding that these kinds of bickering conversations were familiar. "He's right," Jug said with a shrug, "I'll see you later."

"Okay," she said unconcerned and unoffended as she turned back to what she was doing.

This time when the cheeto Fangs launched at her caught in hair Sweet Pea gently pulled it out and was the one to eat it.

…

There was a faint almost unnoticeable lull in the loud bar when Lane walked in Sweet Pea and Fangs in tow. But it bounced back quickly, and as she walked away from the boys a few people even greeted her in passing. Word about what she'd done for them had spread fast, and as Tall Boy told her several days ago loyalty went a long way there.

Toni smiled when Lane climbed onto a stool beside her. "Is that Tall Boy or Sweet Pea's shirt?" she asked always finding it amusing when Lane came in almost drowning in one of their overlarge button downs.

Lane looked down at the plaid shirt trying to remember but ended up shrugging. "I don't know. I've been staring at numbers for the last three hours, and trying not to kick Fangs for throwing his cheetos at me for the last two. My brain's done for the day."

Laughing lightly Toni ordered her a drink thinking she looked like she needed one. "Did he at least pick them up?" she asked knowing the kind of mess Fangs was capable of making.

"No, Sweet Pea ate them." She quickly downed her shot, not noticing the way Toni grinned, and while wincing pointed at the glass telling the bartender, "I'll have another."

The two sat for a while turned toward each other quietly talking, sharing a plate of food, laughing – or rather Toni laughed and Lane sort of smiled because Toni had decided Lane had the emotional range of a toothpick. Fangs eventually came over bringing a few other Serpents their age, one of whom had been arrested and heard she was the one that helped get them out. She might even have gone far enough to say they were friendly, and she returned their smiles as they introduced themselves.

Though after a few minutes of somewhat polite casual conversation Lane turned to Toni and asked, "do I have to keep smiling?"

"No," Toni told her watching her face quickly fall as she muttered, 'oh thank god.' Shaking her head with an amused smile Toni said, "you're an odd one Lane Vivian."

Lane looked over to see her holding up her shot glass and she hit her empty one against it. "I'd have joined you if you hadn't cut me off." Toni wisely decided not to comment on that, knowing Lane wouldn't stop herself.

"I think this Northsider's lost."

Their little group turned at Sweet Pea's exclamation, usually that applied to Lane but on this occasion they saw Jughead donning a Serpent's jacket. The quiet was deafening, like the calm before a storm, and Lane realized this is what it'd been like for them with her – what it still was like – and beneath the hostile glares was a sense of unease, a need to defend. She understood it better.

"I'm not," Jughead told him stepping closer, people filling in the gap behind him. "I'm over being half a serpent."

She watched Sweet Pea stalk slowly around the table toward Jughead, shouldering him aside easily. A display of power, she thought. "Wow, you'll do anything to protect your Northsider buddies."

But Jughead wasn't backing down because he'd gone through all possible options and this was the best one, and whether or not he wanted to admit it it felt right. "My father was a Serpent, he led you. I wanna stand with you guys." He looked around him seeing disbelieving and untrusting faces, even then he found Lane's sweet fairytale face comfortably surrounded by snakes. "Tall Boy was the one who gave me this jacket, it's finally time I start wearing it."

It was so quiet now in the crowded bar when Tall Boy took his shot at the pool table the pop of the balls as they struck each other seemed amplified. "So," Tall Boy growled as he came around the table toward him, "now you wanna be a Serpent, huh?" He stared him down, sizing him up, not seeing even a little give. "Lets see if you survive the initiation first."

Sound finally seemed to fill the empty spaces when Tall Boy turned away from him and the tension slowly eased. His gaze stopped on Lane noting the shirt he guessed Sweet Pea let her wear. "You two," he pointed to her and the now wide eyed boy behind her, "come here."  
She slid off the stool and moved to stand in front of him, blinking up at him curiously in a way that reminded him of when she was younger. She'd always been a smart girl, easy to adapt. "I heard your request this morning and I thought it over, I'll send you with one of your boys tomorrow night to get more clothes." He watched her green eyes brighten in a way that made her look kind of sweet. "I'll leave it up to you who you want, Fangs or Sweet Pea."

"Is that even a question?" Fangs asked coming up behind her and slinging an arm around her shoulder.

She looked up at him sharing a mirrored bemused look before she turned back to Tall Boy. "Obviously Sweet Pea," she told Tall Boy and behind her Fangs nodded.

The older man took that in stride not the least bit surprised, and as he turned pack to the pool table Sweet Pea stepped into her line of sight forcing her to look up. "Obviously?" he questioned, not knowing how to take that.

"You do his job better," she answered with blunt honesty, and again the boy with his arm around her nodded. While Sweet Pea gave a short laugh she leaned into Fangs as a thought occurred to her. "I'll get to wear cardigans again, I love a good cardigan."

Curling his arm so that it was wrapped around the front of her Fangs said, "that might be the most rich white girl thing you've ever said."

Tipping her head back to look at him she cocked a brow. "Say what you want, I look damn cute in a cardigan," she told him sounding very matter of fact.

"I'll drink to that."

The two turned to where Jughead stood behind them with Toni at his side. "No," Toni said raising a finger at Lane, who blinked innocently at her. "No more."

"He offered," Lane said with a shrug that had Fangs finally letting her go. "And it'd be rude to turn him down, he doesn't have any other friends here." Seeing Toni's stern face Lane walked around her with a mildly confused Jughead to enjoy what would sadly be her last drink for the night. And the next night, because Tall Boy dutifully informed her the Whyte Wyrm was off limits to all non-Serpents for Jughead's initiation.

.^.

Lane sat next to Sweet Pea in the car parked under the long shadow of a tree outside of the house he and Jughead had driven her to last week. "This is your boy's house," he said glancing at the windows of the surrounding houses to see all but two were dark; it was well after midnight, most everyone was asleep.

"Mine's behind his," she told him remembering Tall Boy's order to use every precaution: park a street down, Sweet Pea stays in front of her, no lights, anything seems off Sweet Pea was to get her out of there, and finally he asked if he should be the one to take her. She'd told him no, that she and Sweet Pea would fine. And she was telling herself that now as she stared at the dark expanse of trees behind Reggie's house, only this time she was convincing herself.

"Ready?" he asked hearing her deeps breaths and knowing she was trying for calm. He watched her raise a hand to the light switch above them and push it to off – she was smart if nothing else. The lights in the car stayed off when they climbed out, and they shut the doors as quietly as they could but it still sounded loud as thunder in the quiet sleepy neighborhood.

He walked ahead of her leading her around Reggie's house and through the thin patch of trees seeing the shape of her house from the streetlights. They paused at the edge of her yard and he looked around them knowing anyone could be around and at that time of night he'd never see them.

This was his life too, Lane thought as she looked up at him, and he'd been risking it the moment she stepped into his side of town. It felt like too much. "I know what Tall Boy said but you don't have to go with me."

He looked down at her seeing only the shape of her and the shine of her eyes. "This is why I'm here," he told her on a quiet breath. "And as much work as you've been I'll be damned if I back out now." With a hand around her arm he pushed her in front of him deciding the biggest threat was someone being in the trees behind them. "Is there an alarm?" he asked when they made it to the back window.

Reggie had taken her home that day and walked her to the door, she'd been too distracted to realize she never had to turn it off. "No, the first guy cut it when he broke in," she said sliding the window she knew would be unlocked open. Feeling strong arms around her waist she found herself lifted into the air and she curled her legs to her chest to better fit in the window he shoved her in through.

She stood for a moment in the dark house hearing only her slightly shallow breathing. It was eerily quiet. At Sweet Pea's quiet urging she unlocked the sliding glass door and let him in, and he paused the same way she did to listen.

He didn't remember it being this quiet the first time, granted there'd been four of them at the time but something still felt out of place. When he turned to find her no longer standing next to him he startled feeling his heart leap to his throat, and it only settled when he saw she'd moved a few feet in the kitchen. Catching his breath he stepped to her and saw she was looking at the place they'd found the body. "You okay?" he whispered.

"Take off your shoes," she said instead of answering.

Looking down he realized she'd pulled hers off at the back door, and he nodded realizing she'd noticed how quiet it was too. Leaving his boots beside her almost laughably small keds he turned to see her reaching for the light switch. "What the hell are you doing?" he hissed charging for her. And he stopped when she flipped it and looked up at the dark ceiling confused.

She really wanted to be wrong. "I'm guessing you didn't do that."

It was the hum of the fridge, that's the sound he wasn't hearing. Looking through the glass door behind them he half expected to see someone in a black hoodie with a gun, and he released a breath when there was no one. Grabbing her arm he pulled her out of the kitchen and pushed her against the wall, she was hidden by the door frame to the kitchen and the wall to the den across from her. "Stay here."

She watched him circle around the den back through the kitchen and then into the living room, and she stood with her back to the wall breathing steadily as he climbed the stairs to check those rooms. For a moment she wondered why they didn't just leave, but if there was someone in the house they'd have the advantage of using the windows to aim and if they were outside they'd be waiting to intercept them. Or there was no one there and this had all been done in advance, either way the best bet was staying in the house until they knew for sure.

His search ended with his knife in one hand and his phone in the other lighting up every dark corner a person could hide. When he was satisfied there was no one there he took a moment to catch his breath having not realized he'd been holding it, and when his heart stopped feeling like it'd beat right out of his chest he quietly climbed back down the stairs and stopped at seeing Lane's small figure standing by the door. He moved to her side to see the deadbolt was unlocked.

"Did you do that?" she asked without turning to him.

"No," he said feeling his breaths growing short again.

"You're sure?"

"I'm the one that locked it."

She nodded as though she'd expected it and turned for the small hall leading to the kitchen. "Help me move this."

Without question Sweet Pea took one end of the long thin hall table and helped her place it to the side of the door, and he curiously watched her move some glass figure to the edge. Smart. Anyone opened the door it'd hit the table and break the figurine: she'd made her own alarm.

He followed her up the stairs and stood holding his phone as she pulled the black out curtains over the windows in her room before he turned the flashlight on. And he stepped back when she walked past him to the master bedroom, which was bigger than anything he'd ever lived in, and came back with a suitcase. "Where are your parents?" he asked realizing for the first time that no one other than her friend was checking on her.

Laying the case on the bed she walked to the closet and came back with a bunch of sweaters. "Well my dad's dead and my mom walked out when I was five." She said this as she did everything else, without emotion. And she walked back into the closet grabbing different shirts before throwing them in the suitcase too.

He felt like an idiot when he knew both of those things, and for making her say it. "Who do you live with?"

"My step mother," she answered walking to her dresser to grab more pants. No more than five minutes and she'd be done, she could handle five more minutes without falling apart. But something broken in her had shattered further when she'd stood over the place she killed that man, and not even ten feet away from that was the place her father died. She didn't know if she could put herself back together this time.

"Does she know what's been going on?" he found himself asking even though he didn't want to. At this point he knew the only person who actively cared about her was the one who'd been calling.

With a faintly trembling hand she rubbed at her brow and zipped up the suit case not caring if there was anything else. She couldn't be here anymore. "She said she'd stay overseas til things here died down," she took a shaky breath, "and to let her know if I wanted to join her she'd fly me out first thing." She was grateful for the dark because he couldn't see her crumbling face or the way she pressed her lips together to keep her chin from quivering. "Get out."

"What?" he asked thinking he heard her wrong. He raised the phone to her but he saw nothing more than her brown hair as her small hands began pushing him.

"I don't care what you do just get of my room." When he was far enough back she shut the door and she held her breath trying to keep from crying.

Standing on the other side of her door he scowled heavily, his hands balled into fists, wondering why he bothered when it was clear she thought she was too good to want anything to do with him. He was about to leave her when he heard the broken breath she took, and he hesitated hearing nothing but his own soft breathing before he heard her sniff. With a sigh he slowly unwound resting his head on the door trying to convince himself to walk away. "Open the door," he told her quietly. Turning off the light and stuffing the phone in his pocket he couldn't see a damn thing in that dark hallway. "Lane, I'm not gonna leave so you might as well let me in."

She stood with both hands on the door to keep herself from falling to the floor, and her head hung feeling her nose start to run. Whether it was him actually using her name or that she was so tired of being alone she pulled the door open. The dark was so thick she couldn't see any part of him, nor him her, and that made it feel safer.

Almost timidly he reached for her catching her thin collar bone, and he moved his hand up feeling her wet cheek. When he was sure she wasn't gonna fight him he pulled her to him feeling her shoulders shake as she finally let go.  
He didn't know how long he stood there, he'd have staid there as long as she needed so long as by the end of it she wasn't crying. But she eventually settled with her arms around his waist no longer feeling like she was suffocating, she could finally breathe. With her eyes closed she breathed steadily feeling his mouth and nose pressed against the top of her head and she thought, just one more minute.

The sound of glass breaking cut through their quiet sharp as any knife and she opened her eyes to the dark around them feeling his arms tighten around her.

* * *

 _Just as a reference this chapter takes place in episode 5 of season two, and other than finishing up this scene it's kind of the end of the episode.  
That being said, I wanted to make sure the story wasn't dragging or getting boring (I did leave the chapter on a cliff hanger, but was it boring before that) It's definitely been slow as she's gotten to know the Serpents, and as they're getting to know her; especially Sweet Pea. And I'm hoping that as more time passes and they all get to know each other better I won't need to spend as much time on every little detail - most especially Sweet Pea because I feel most of his development is through his reactions and how he's now responding to Lane versus in the beginning. _

_But I wanted to make sure that the story isn't getting bogged down. Because if it is, or it feels too slow, I'll definitely try to pick up the pace. Or if I don't quite have the characters down, I didn't get to see every episode so a lot of this is from online recaps. But, if you guys like how it's been I'll keep doing as I've been doing._

 _As always, thank you so very much for reading._


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: I almost didn't put this but decided to just in case. There's some really dark humor in one scene, you'll know it when you read it. If you find stuff like that funny you'll like this, if you don't it might be a little off-putting. But remember these are essentially kids and they're in shock and trying to cope.  
And I've also said in a few places that Lane is weird, and I think I had either Fangs or Toni say she had a dark sense of humor – this is the evidence of that._

* * *

It was Lane who moved first, who'd already done this dance once before and so she knew the moves. Squirming out of his grasp she moved to the edge of the stairs and looked at the landing below now partially illuminated from a street lamp through the open door. A shadow the shape of a man passed through and her heart dropped to her stomach.

The only light in the hall was a very faint glimmer at the stairs, Sweet Pea stood in her doorway where she'd left him thinking he might be seeing the top of her head as she hugged close to the wall. But her small hand grabbed whatever she could as she passed, which happened to be the front of his shirt, and pulled him down the hall toward the master bedroom her step mother would've used if she was ever there.

He stopped when she let him go and he squinted in the dim room until he blinked suddenly finding he could see. She'd twisted the blinds open, before he could think anything of it she'd grabbed him again and led him to the closet. "Do as I say," she told him on a breath so soft he thought he imagined it. "Give me your phone."

He did as she asked without question. She seemed to have a plan and he didn't, his mind had frozen the moment the glass broke and he was only now thinking about jumping out of the window and cutting for the trees.

"Listen and watch," she told him when he continued staring at her. And as he turned around she dropped to her knees in front of the safe in the corner turning on his phone's flashlight.

Half hidden by the doorway to the closet Sweet Pea looked out seeing the large bed in front of him, the bathroom was to the left, and to the right was the window she opened half hidden by the long wall where the hallway was. It was the perfect vantage point, the moment this guy stepped into the room they'd see him, and his back would be to them. He jumped at a loud click behind him cursing Lane because that was so far the only sound he'd heard, and he knew whoever was there heard it too. He wanted to see what she was doing, to know what her plan was because he felt trapped and the knife in his hand felt very small. But he was scared if he turned to her even for a second he'd miss them coming.

The pale bright light from his phone suddenly cut out and he heard her soft voice beside him. "Get behind me."

He turned seeing in the dim yellow light her emotionless face, and looking further down he saw her holding a gun. Whether or not she was a bitch she had just about the most sweetly pretty face he thought he'd ever seen and he never believed her capable of killing someone – but he believed it now. This was starting to feel like a plan. Without a word he slipped behind her close enough to touch and they stood watching the corner of the wall for whoever was coming.

It could be Reggie, she kept telling herself. He could've seen them walk past the house, or saw the phone light, and he'd decided to check it out. It could be Reggie. But the first thing that passed through the doorway was a gun and she released a quiet breath and squared her shoulders. She watched the man turn sharply looking for a target, his eyes, which had taken in the streetlight, not yet adjusted to see their shadowed shapes in the closet. For the second time in as many weeks she felt a gun go off in her hands, felt its cruel recoil, and heard the terrible wheeze of the silencer.

Sweet Pea jumped at the sound and grabbed her planning to throw her to the ground and charge, but the man dropped like a log and his leg jerked once before he stilled. This time Sweet Pea was the one to move first and he quickly rushed forward grabbing his gun, seeing a dark stain begin to seep from beneath his shirt.

"Yeah there was someone watching the house."

He turned from the dead man to see Lane with his phone to her ear as she set her gun on the dresser. Sweet Pea set the one he picked up on the bed before kicking the guy to make sure he was good and dead.

"Did you kill him?" Tall Boy asked as he made his way to the back room to muffle the noise at the Wyrm just a little. He sighed at her quiet yeah and his hand tightened to a fist around his phone. "I knew I should'a been the one to take you."

"Probably," she agreed, "but we handled it."

A few more words were shared before she hung up and looked to Sweet Pea, who still stood over the body. "He's bringing a few guys," she told him and Sweet Pea nodded.

They stood on opposite sides of the room looking at each other's wide eyes and shadowed faces feeling their hearts still racing and their hands still shaking, their breathing shortened to shallow panting. They moved together and he bent low catching her waist and she stretched on the tips of her toes throwing her arms around his shoulders, and he stood feeling her legs wrap around his waist as they clung to each other.

And they stayed that way for what felt like forever and they'd have gone on forever more, but his back was starting to hurt from the increasingly heavy weight of her and her mind had started turning. "What now?" she asked still whispering. "Do we just wait?"

With his mouth pressed against her shoulder he looked at the body on the floor beside them. "We should bag him before he bleeds on the carpet."

Of course, she realized wondering why she hadn't thought of that herself. Releasing her hold on him she felt his hands slide around her legs as he put her down, and he stood looking after her as she marched out of the room without another word. Shaking his head he followed her down the hall, but his feet stilled at her voice calling out to his left, "wait."

She left her room and held her arm out feeling around before she found him, and she grabbed his hand forcing a wad of something soft into it before he saw her cut back into the other bedroom. It wasn't until he got downstairs, where the blinds were open letting in enough light, that he saw she'd handed him a pair of ridiculously pink gloves. "You've gotta be kidding me," he grumbled to himself shoving his hands in them as he grabbed the box of black trash bags.  
He met her in the bedroom and dropped the box by the body before turning to where she stood at the bed unraveling a string of Christmas lights. He noticed she'd pulled her hair back and had stuffed it under a grey knit beanie. "You don't have rope?"

"I figured I'd use it," she said turning to him, "these haven't been hung up in," her eyes trailed down to his gloved hands, "years," she finished before pressing her lips together and turning back to the bed. She turned back to him holding out the matching hat.

With a growl of a sigh he snatched it from her and stuffed it on his head. "Not a goddamn word, Vivian," he warned as he grabbed a garbage bag and pulled out his switch blade. He cut through the side of the bag hearing her untangling the lights before he heard her poor attempt at covering her laughter that ended up sounding like a snort.

With her mouth pursed she looked down at where he knelt to see him glaring up at her and she cleared her throat straightening her face. "I'm in shock," she told him seriously hearing him curse under his breath as he turned back to the bag. She knelt beside him seeing what he was doing, pulling on her own gloves.

"I'll lift him, slide this under," he said handing her the bag. With a grunt he lifted the heavy man by the shoulders and she sat on her knees pulling the open bag under him. They did this under his legs as well and folded the flaps around him. Together they opened the pack of sheets she'd found in the closet and worked that under him as well before wrapping him in it. Every so often she looked up at Sweet Pea seeing his handsome face surrounded by the fuzzy pink hat and quickly turned away biting back a grin, and he caught her every time.

"Jesus Christ," Sweet Pea muttered sitting the guy up so she could wrap the string of lights around him securing the blanket. He dropped his shoulders and he hit the carpet with a sick thunk, and then he was holding up his legs so she could get those too.

They stood back looking down at their handy work with an almost troubling disassociation. "I kind of wanna plug him in," Lane said softly, curiously. "Am I a terrible person for thinking that?"

"Yes," was Sweet Pea's immediate answer. But he looked down at her seeing her pale eyes as they stood in front of the open window and said, "let's do it."

Her face almost lit up at finding someone who didn't recoil from her darkest thoughts, and together they dragged him to the wall and plugged him in. A soft yellow glow surrounded them and Sweet Pea pushed him up so that he was sitting against the wall. "We are so going to hell," he said standing with her looking down at what they'd done.

She nodded, having already given up being a good person. "Oh Christmas tree," she half sang and beside her Sweet Pea broke into a fit of deep belly aching laughs and she joined him with little fits of giggles. And neither of them heard the hysteria beneath it.  
"Shut up," she told him suddenly, her hand on his arm. As his face hardened she said, "I have half of an idea." He stared her down seeing a deep crease etched between her brows as she thought, so he waited her out until she finally looked up at him. "Now I have a whole idea."

She hurried away again and he stood looking at the place she'd once been standing and blinked. It didn't take her long to come back, and he quietly watched her stuff his phone in her back pocket before she knelt in front of the body and began drawing on the sheet over his face. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Finishing the two round black eyes she drew a smile where his mouth was before standing and grabbing the camera she'd found in her drawer taking a picture. When, and only when, she was done she turned back to Sweet Pea. "A lot of things. But this is a message."

He looked down at her with wide eyes thinking she had to be crazy, until it hit him all at once: he was already trying to kill her. "You can play too," Sweet Pea said seeing her nod. "Does that mean you have a plan?"

They made their way downstairs and sat facing the front door. "Other than leaving the country forever there's only one that has the possibility of me staying alive. I've just been in denial, and I will keep being in denial until my hand is forced."

He didn't like the way she said 'possibility' as if in some way she'd accepted she'd probably end this dead. And he couldn't, for the life of him, remember when he'd started caring. What he said was, "I guess I can put up with you for a while longer."

With a wry grin she turned to him and her eyes rose to the hat he was still wearing and it spread to a smile. "You look cute in that hat," she told him.

His brows rose at how easily she said that, and he stared at the side of her face as she sat on the step beside him. "So you think I'm cute?" he goaded trying to egg a reaction out of her.

"You know what you look like him," she stated plainly not answering one way or another.

They sat together for a while settling into a comfortable silence before they heard a car pull up. With three guys behind him Tall Boy stepped through the doorway seeing Lane and Sweet Pea on the stairs waiting: she had her legs drawn to her chest and her arms around them with Sweet Pea in a laughably pink hat beside her, he lounged with his long legs stretched out and his elbows propped on the step behind him. He moved his hand but Tall Boy would've bet his soul the kid had it on her back. "Where is he?"

"Upstairs," Lane answered. Sweet Pea would have but Tall Boy's eyes as always were on her.

He nodded looking between them, the way she sat a little too close and the way he leaned toward her. "Take her back to my place and stay with her til I get there," he told Sweet Pea who nodded as he stood.

"Nice hat," Fangs grinned as Sweet Pea passed him to grab the suit case Lane had set by the stairs.

Irritably he looked from Fangs to where Lane now stood behind him with a hand to her mouth failing at hiding her smile. Turning back to Fangs he told him simply, "it makes her do that." Carrying the suitcase he made for the sliding glass door to take her back to the car.

The three guys, Fangs included but he stopped to ask if he she was okay first, headed upstairs and she turned to Tall Boy. "You picked that hat on purpose," he said seeing the ghost of a smirk curl the corner of her mouth. "You're a little shit."

She smiled still enjoying the fact that Sweet Pea thought he was wearing it to make her feel better. "I'll see you at home," she told him before she blinked and looked up at him almost surprised. "Your home," she quickly corrected, "not mine. Because this is," she took a breath and finished lamely, "mine."

He stopped her with a hand under her chin. "I'll see you at home kid." He watched her step back with an almost shy smile and turn to meet Sweet Pea as he waited on the porch.

"Oh Jesus," Tall Boy heard from one of his guys above him. He followed it to the back room that emitted an almost warm yellow glow, and turned the corner seeing the body wrapped in Christmas lights. "That little shit."

…

About an hour later he found them both slouched back on the couch staring at the TV with glazed eyes. "I take it you're not sleeping," he said and like synchronized monkeys they turned to where he stood.

"I'm not tired," she told him even though she was. But she was used to it, needing sleep that wouldn't come.

With a nod he headed for the bedroom and shut the door. "Do you want me to leave?" Sweet Pea asked beside her.

She thought about it before shaking her head. "Not really." Sharing a brief look they turned back to the TV blinking steadily.

.^.

"That happen often?" Jughead asked as he Toni and Fangs stood in front of the couch where both Lane and Sweet Pea slept.

Fangs smiled kicking Sweet Pea's foot several times before his thrown back head finally shot up. "Every time," he answered with a grin.

Lane was easier, he shook her shoulder once and she jerked away from where she'd been leaning on Sweet Pea exclaiming, "I don't want pickles."

His face fell to one of mild confusion. "I wasn't offering," he told her slowly.

Rubbing her tired eyes she settled back feeling Sweet Pea's arm against her back as she leaned on him again. "He kept asking me if I wanted one."

Sweet Pea half shoved her off him. "You were dreaming about me?" he asked still half asleep.

"Yeah," she sighed wishing for even an hour more, not noticing the look Toni and Fangs shared. "I was eating the best pancakes and you had a jar of pickles. You were being really annoying."

"Were they supposed to be a reference to my dick?"

She rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Probably."

He sat back nodding like it made sense, but his mind was elsewhere and he turned to her. "If I take you to the store will you make pancakes?"

"Oh my god yes," she said and they both jumped up from the couch heading for the door.

"Brush your teeth," Toni told them and watched them both pause in the doorway before nearly stomping to the bathroom. She turned with wide eyes to the two boys with her. "Seriously?" she asked looking more to Fangs. "She admits to having a dream about him with possible sexual undertones and…pancakes?"

Fangs raised his shouldered and answered, "they do sound good," making Toni roll her eyes at the children she called friends.

"I didn't realize how well they got along," Jughead said having assumed there was too much deep seated hatred running through them both for that. And that everything else he'd seen was just them dealing with the fact they were stuck together.

"They don't," Toni said the same time Fangs offhandedly said, "well they killed a guy together."

"What?" Toni and Jughead exclaimed turning to the nonchalant boy.

"Hey," came Lane's voice behind them as she stopped in the doorway once more, "am I feeding all of you?"

Behind her Sweet Pea impatiently wrapped an arm around her waist and picked her up. "You always feed everyone," he grumbled carrying her to the car.

The three left inside heard her mildly irate voice demanding, "how is this better than pulling on me?"

They stared for a moment at the still open door trying to make sense of any of that before Toni finally collected herself and turned to Jughead. "They don't get along." She turned to Fangs. "Continue."

"Last night, there was someone watching the house," he said hearing Jughead curse at realizing there really was someone after her, and when he finished his initiation he was gonna have to deal with it. "Get this, they tied up the body with Christmas lights and turned them on." He was gonna be dreaming about that for weeks, and the face she'd drawn on the sheet.

Jughead's worried thoughts on what to do with her paused at that. "Yeah that sounds like Lane," he said shaking his head.

"I said it once and I'll say it again," Fangs said throwing himself on the couch, "she's scary."

.^.

Sweet Pea stood beside Lane at the post office watching as she slid the dead man's photograph in a manila envelope before she handed it to him. With a heavy look and a heavier sigh he snatched it from her and licked it. Grabbing a pen she held it over the middle of the envelope and prepared to write the name of the man who'd haunting her for years, and she stood for a moment almost afraid just seeing it would tear her apart.

She looked up at Sweet Pea seeing him watching her closely. "The entire plan hinges on me assuring him I won't tell anyone," she said and he straightened, she knew his first thought would be she wanted him to turn around. "Maybe I trust you," she said seeing something in his hard expression break, "maybe I'm tired of being the only one that knows. But it's your choice."

He'd be binding them together, he shouldn't look. She would either be killed or fix this enough to walk away, either way it ended in her leaving him. So he shouldn't look. But the trust wasn't just hers, and he'd watched her slowly fall apart and maybe he didn't want her to be alone in this either.

His eyes fell to the envelope tracing the neat letters she'd written, and as the weight of that name settled on his shoulders too heavy to bear he looked at her seeing she'd already turned to him as if she knew. As if she'd felt the noose around her neck loosen enough to fit his too. "Holy shit."


	9. Chapter 9

She wasn't sleeping again. Not to say she figured out how to sleep after she killed the first guy, but the little naps she'd been able to find here and there were gone and she was always exhausted. Now that Jughead's initiation was over he'd asked to take shifts watching her, mostly because he wanted to figure out what to do about the hit on her and it almost always ended in her calling Fangs who'd sneak her out and take her back to his trailer where more often than not Sweet Pea was waiting. And she only ever seemed to be able to sleep when he was around. So he was usually around, and more often than sometimes he'd fall asleep too.

That morning Tall Boy took one look at the bags under her eyes deep enough to use as luggage and told her to draw the blinds and stay home. He knew she was really tired when she didn't try to argue.

Instead of sleeping she sat staring blankly at the television she was slowly growing to hate until her vision was blurry and she could barely see it. The door slammed open and she jumped up seeing a wide eyed Jughead standing in the doorway. "They took them, they took everyone, McCoy and Sheriff Keller raided the school." He said all of this fast and angry looking for something to hit. She was a last ditch attempt, again. He knew she got the Serpents out last time, he was prepared to go down to the station and say whatever she told him.

She'd gathered enough to know he meant the Serpents were arrested, and she opened her mouth to ask what was going on when she saw a vibrant flash of red coming up the walkway. Her face blanched and she lunged for the bedroom leaving Jughead to follow. He barely got out of the way before she shut him in the door. "Get him out of here," she told him on a panicked breath.

"It's just Archie," he told her. Hearing Archie call for him Jughead yelled back, "we're in h- what the hell?" he hissed the last part as Lane grabbed his ear and dragged it to her mouth.

Her mind was moving a mile a minute trying to find a way to get them both out without Jughead realizing anything. "Your goody two shoed friend's gonna go the cops, I already told you why I can't. Get him out of here."

Pulling her hand away Jughead leaned back feeling his mouth pull to a frown. "So that's it, save your own skin and leave them hanging after everything they've done for you. You know he'd do this for you," he said seeing a brief flash of hurt flit across her eyes before it was gone. Scowling he tore the door open and slammed it shut behind him. "Come on," he seethed pulling Archie back outside, "this was a dead end."

Lane stood where she'd been left trying to catch her breath, wishing Jughead understood. Wishing he – and there it was, that distracted unnecessary thought of Sweet Pea. It never failed to come back. Exhaling she slid down the wall and settled in a sad pile on the floor. It wasn't but half an hour before the front door opened again, and she stood flicking the light on and wrenching the door to the bedroom open seeing Tall Boy on the other side. "I take it you know they were arrested."

"I do," he told her in a tone as plain as hers. Something happened while he was gone, he could see it in her unreadable face. "There's a problem."

She took a deep breath. "I swear to god if he had my phone."

"He had your phone."

"Of course he did," she sighed letting her head hang.

"There's something else."

With a defeated groan she looked back up at him, eyes nearly pleading. "I swear to god if it gets worse."

"I checked your voicemail on the way over, Sweet Pea wasn't telling you your boy was calling again. He called the sheriff."

"And it's worse," she exclaimed bringing her hands to her face thinking she couldn't do worse. "Son of a bitch," she muttered to herself feeling frustrated tears welling up behind her eyes and it only pissed her off more.

He looked at her pitiful form bowed into herself looking so small and in need and he softened the way he always did with her. Stepping closer he gathered her in his arms feeling her first flinch before she settled against him.

She found something so familiar in his arms, his hand on the back of her head, her face buried in his shirt, his long brown almost blonde hair tickling her cheek.

"You do what you have to," he told her smoothing her hair back forcing her to look up at him. "I'll take care of the rest." With a hand cupping her face he felt her nod and he pulled her close pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Take my car."

She watched him leave feeling like he'd left her before, and she sighed at hearing the loud roar of his bike knowing what she had to do.

…

The deputy had been returning to his desk when she walked past him, he only saw the back of her head cloaked in a scarf as she made for Sheriff Keller's office. "Ma'am," he called rushing after her.

Keller looked up seeing a woman donning sunglasses and a scarf to hide her face step into his office and promptly close the door. With a hand on the gun hooked to his belt he watched her pull the scarf down and push the sunglasses over her dark hair. "Lane?" he exclaimed rising to his feet. "I got a call this morning saying you were missing, I was about to write a report." The raid had taken most of his time, but he'd just gotten a call from the deputy he sent to her house to say her alarm system power and telephone lines had been cut. And then on a chance he tried the cell number he'd been given.

She nodded before finishing for him, "until you found my phone on a Serpent." She watched that settle in his aged face, waited as he rearranged his idea of what he thought happened to her. "I'm going to be very direct and honest with you and we're just gonna see where that goes. Does that sound okay?"

With a nod he returned to his chair on the other side of his desk, buying time because he still wasn't sure what exactly was happening. "Sure," he told her.

Taking a breath she said, "first, don't say sure you're smarter than how stupid that makes you sound. I was gonna be thinking about that the whole time." With that off her chest she got down to what she really wanted. "So, you're not going to tell anyone you saw me, you're definitely not going to say I'm with the Serpents, and you're gonna let them go."

"Is that all?" he made the mistake of asking sarcastically.

"Oh I'm sure by the end of this I'll have found something else."

He blinked up at her thinking she had some balls, and in a way she reminded him of her dad and the numerous times he'd come in here demanding a Serpent's release. "Have a seat," he told her and was glad when she complied, because he honestly didn't think she would. "Alright you were direct now it's my turn. We went to the school with a signed warrant, all evidence we've found is valid in a court of law, they're not just gonna walk this time. So why don't you try again, start with why you're with them, and we'll see where that goes. Okay?"

She settled back in the chair reeling as though he'd hit her. But she took a breath and a fire lit in her green eyes as she quietly watched him, waiting for his next move.

…

The door to the cell opened and Fangs was shoved inside before it slammed shut behind him, and he looked at where Sweet Pea leaned against the wall watching the deputy with dark eyes as he walked away.

"She didn't answer did she?" Toni asked from behind the bars in the cell beside theirs.

Fangs shook his head looking to Sweet Pea and seeing him almost shaking from how angry he was. They'd agreed, Sweet Pea used his phone call to let Tall Boy know what was going on, and Fangs used his to try to the house.

"I swear to god if she's here," Sweet Pea seethed, feeling an itch in his knuckles to punch something. If the Northside wanted a war he was ready to give them one. The expression stilled on his face when the door opened again revealing the Sheriff escorting Lane to holding. He took a breath feeling that enraged tremor clouding his head at seeing she was stupid to come after them.

Opening the cell where a group of eight Serpents were being held Keller looked down at Lane thinking her very small as she looked up at him. "I'll let you sit with your friends while we fill out the paperwork, see if that gets you talking." The girl hadn't said a word, he'd asked every different way if one of them was her boyfriend and if she'd simply run away, but she hadn't done more than blink.

Which was what she did now, blinking up at him, before she calmly asked, "is this what you want?" She watched uncertainty etch faintly in his features as he tried to figure out what game she was playing – she knew he was keeping her so she couldn't dig up the details she was too dangerous to know – and he hesitated now because he could see she was planning something. "Okay," she nodded before stepping into the cell leaving him to shut the door behind her.

The moment he was gone Sweet Pea was on her, stepping close enough she had to crane her neck to see his dark eyes. "Why the hell are you here?" he yelled wanting to shake her.

Her face hardened but her voice remained level. "Because you let your personal feelings for me keep you from telling me Reggie was calling again." She waited for that settle and doubt to creep beneath his anger. "He told the Sheriff I was missing, who then found you with my phone." Now he was getting it, that this wasn't just the Serpents, this was for him. And when he was good and guilty she hit him with, "I didn't think you wanted to add kidnapping to the list of charges they're trying to pin on you," and left him standing by the door as she sat on one of the beds by a boy she didn't really know.

"What's the plan," he asked her, because he knew she was the reason they got out the first time.

She gave an audible exhale and sat back. "You guys are gonna tell me everything you know so I can figure out how this happened and how to get you out of it," she said hearing a few murmured agreements.

"They have to let us out tomorrow," Fangs said having been through this enough to know in twenty-four hours they'd get to walk.

But she shook her head looking from him to Sweet Pea, who'd turned to her planning to do what she said. "They have enough to hold you this time," she told them. "It's me they have to let go."

"So what are we gonna do?"

Lane turned to where Toni leaned on the bars in the cell beside them, noticing they were all looking to her for the answers. Looking back to Toni she told her, "sit there and look cute, I'll figure it out." She saw Toni's small unsure smile and wished she felt like returning it, but it was gonna be a long night and she now had over twenty people counting on her when she only cared about three.

…

It was like a puzzle missing half its pieces: the Sheriff's department with the Mayor in tow raided the school grabbing Serpents and Ghoulies looking for jingle jangle and anyone who was supplying it. The Ghoulies thankfully had been moved to the cells on the other side around the corner, and so far they were the only ones affiliated with the drug.

"I'm missing something," Lane said mostly to herself as she paced the short length of the cell. The boys she was in with were all in some way sitting, the two cells across from her were filled with more Serpents and they were all watching her go round and round mumbling deep in thought long after they'd all gotten tired.

"That's all we know," Toni told her wishing someone had more to give, because Lane would stop every so often and stare at the floor before she resumed pacing. Toni had a feeling she was so close, if they could just remember one more thing.

"It still doesn't seem like they have anything to charge us with," Fangs said, as he'd been saying. But it was mostly because he was anxious to leave.

Lane turned to him prepared to offer a sour retort but she saw his wide eyes and sighed. "Gang affiliation and concealed weapons in a public school, I'm sure they'll add resisting arrest because that's a felony in this state," she told him. "It's a bogus charge but it's enough to keep holding you, all they need's more time to find something else."

He sank lower feeling the pit in his stomach begin to twist, but Toni still stood at the bars watching her and listening to her scattered thoughts as she thought aloud. "Why is it bogus?" she asked thinking maybe there was something in that.

But Lane sighed for the thousandth time because she'd already moved beyond that thought. "Because it's not what they were looking for. I mean you could try the fourth amendment,"

"Which is?" Fangs asked.

"Search and seizure," Lane answered but her eyes were on the floor lost in thought, "but you'd have to prove it was unreasonable. I mean they did have a warrant, anything they found would-wait shut up."

Fangs blinked not following. "I didn't-"

"Shh," she hushed him, a missing piece finally falling into place. "It's the warrant, why is it the warrant," she said to herself turning on her heel and resuming her pacing as if moving in the same circle her thoughts did might help. "No, not why, how. Who tipped them off, and why the school. Where would that get you?"

"You're thinking out loud again," Sweet Pea said from where he sat on the bottom bunk of the one of the beds. Most of them had all but given up on her figuring anything out, even Fangs doubted her, but he was holding out hope and even if she didn't it wasn't for lack of trying.

"Am I?" she heard herself ask as she turned to him. "Oh, yeah I am."

She resumed quietly, a hand pressed to her mouth as she thought. The lights above them dimmed indicating it was after dark, and those that could fell asleep. And still, Lane continued on and on round and round coming back to the same few thoughts that didn't make sense. Until there was a shift in her thinking and all of sudden it did. And she came to a dead stop in the center of the cell as she tried every different angle for why it was wrong.

Half asleep Toni blinked heavily seeing Lane and she blinked again before her mind slammed into focus realizing she'd stopped moving. "Lane?" she prodded, and she smiled when Lane didn't raise a hand to shut her up. "That's our girl," she sighed feeling relief heavy on her shoulders.

Looking up from the floor Lane found Toni's shadowed shape and nodded. "We'll see if it works," she told her, watching as Toni crawled onto a cot and almost immediately fell asleep. She turned finding Sweet Pea sitting on the same bed leaning so that his back was against the wall and she gently sat beside him.

"Took you long enough," he mumbled somehow having waited her out. And with it dark and everyone else asleep he turned to her and asked, "you know he's gonna find you right?"

She turned from him with a defeated sigh and nodded. "And I'll probably end up dead."

It surprised him how easily she seemed to accept that when he found the thought so impossible. "You know I'll probably end up dead with you." He met her shadowed eyes seeing they were widened and he smirked but not because any part of this was funny. "I meant it when I told you I wasn't leaving."

She didn't think anyone in her life hadn't left her in some way, she looked at what little she could see of him and didn't know what to do with that. So she turned away, feeling the kind of bothered she only seemed to get with him. "What do you think I should do?"

"I think you're desperate if you're coming to me," he said hearing her small breath of a laugh that quickly ended. He'd arrived at the answer several hours ago, but he waited hating her for making him think it. "I'd never back down from a fight, but if there's a way to shut them up or get them to help then you need to take it."

He was probably right, if she told the Sheriff what was going on he'd get her out of town. But she found herself with the same persistent realization she'd finally found something she wanted, the thought of leaving seemed so hard. "You really think I'd take it?" she asked him, wondering what his thoughts were of her now because some days she didn't know.

"You may not be stupid but you are reckless," he replied knowing with her cover blown she should go with the Sheriff and leave them. But he felt something he was too stubborn for at knowing she was choosing to stay. Her head on his shoulder was almost a relief and he released a tired breath leaning into her.

.^.

The steady click of her heels announced her arrival that morning and Sheriff Keller looked up to see Mayor McCoy standing in the doorway to his office looking smart in a pants suit. "Morning," he offered.

She didn't take it. "You said there was a problem."

With a sigh he nodded telling her, "we're gonna have to release them."

But she was already ready refusing. "We've got several if not all of them on resisting arrest, it isn't much and it wouldn't stand up in court but it's enough for now to buy us more time," she said too stubborn to let go. The Southside was a plague on her town, she'd do away with it entirely if she could.

"That's the problem," he told her shaking his head. "Apparently Lane Vivian is with them, I'm sure you remember her father."

She paused at that and nodded. "I remember he caused us a lot of trouble over the Serpents. But she's a sixteen year old kid, Tom."

He remembered her strange stare that was both blank and burning, the calm way she challenged his decision to stick her in a cell as if she knew something. "If she's anything like her dad we're gonna have to release them."

But McCoy didn't find herself worried so much as she did curious, and unsettled that the Serpents had tainted a very promising young woman. "Well," she said with a restrained smile," I think we should have a word with Ms Vivian, don't you?"

…

As Lane had known the Sheriff came back that morning, with the added bonus of having the Mayor in tow. And as Sheriff Keller had guessed she sat very close to the boy her phone had been found on; he sat on the bed with his feet planted on the ground and she neatly sat between his legs with an elbow on one of his knees and her cheek in hand. She looked up at the Sheriff with her too watchful eyes and he saw the way they narrowed looking from him to McCoy as though sizing them up.

The Sheriff looked strangely guilty, but Mayor McCoy was looking particularly smug at seeing the girl not only behind bars but wrapped up with a Serpent. She'd lose all credibility. "Are you comfortable?" she asked knowing none of them were.

Her green eyes flicked to Sheriff Keller as though to ask one more time if he was sure this was what he wanted, and she almost smiled when he said nothing. "You know it took me a while to figure out why the Mayor would want to be involved in a raid let alone for the Sheriff to let an untrained civilian accompany him into a potentially hostile environment. Unless it was personal." She looked between the two catching the heavy way the Sheriff swallowed and the Mayor's slowly crumbling confidence. "So was it one or both of your kids who took the drugs that led you to Southside High?"  
It was a shot in the dark on Lane's part but the way Mayor McCoy straightened told her she was right. And the Serpents surrounding her, including the one directly at her back, all took that in stride with mirrored carved smiles. "I'm guessing you didn't include their names in the warrant. Of course not, you'd have to charge them and any of their friends who'd taken it with possession." She looked at Keller seeing his quiet acceptance and then the Mayor's sudden renewal of assurity in her irritating smirk. "But then there's the matter of distribution, and if there's one thing I know it's that if you want drugs on the Northside you go to Reggie. And he's gotta be the one who led you to the Southside, but his name isn't on the warrant either. Is it? Now you know," she looked to the Mayor knowing she was an attorney, "you can get the possession charge dropped to a warning or community service, have them cry in front of a judge saying it was peer pressure. But distribution," she tsked leaned further back against Sweet Pea who sat with clear pride at the way she tore into them, "that'll be harder to get rid of." Lane pointed to the still smirking Mayor, who was hiding her doubt well, and said, "you're looking smug thinking this'll never come to light because you found more than enough evidence to snuff out any questions. But we've got at least twenty bogus charges to fight," she held her arms out to the Serpents in the cells surrounding, and then she sat back with elbow on either of Sweet Pea's knees looking in a way almost regal as she sat with her legs curled under her. "And as you and your appropriately worried partner knows," she motioned to the Sheriff, "it only takes one of us going to court. Get a good enough lawyer and they'll challenge your warrant saying you either modified it to suit your personal needs or you manufactured it. Either way your case falls through: the Serpents get off, the Ghoulies – who you actually found evidence on."

There was a pause as Lane smartly let her words sink in, hearing in their silence they hadn't been expecting that. But McCoy, still trying to save face, asked Lane, "do you really think any of these Serpents can afford said good lawyer?"

"No," Lane stated immediate and simple. "But I can."

Having heard enough to know she was right Keller pulled out the keys on his belt and opened the cell with an unhappy, "come on."

"Just Lane," Mayor McCoy was quick to say. Taking her back to the sheriff's office would give McCoy time to think of a rebuttal without the surprised and almost gleeful eyes of her imprisoned friends surrounding her.

But Lane calmly told her, "no." She pointed to Keller and continued, "he was told yesterday I was missing, he then found my phone on this guy," she raised an arm to point at Sweet Pea who hovered over her, "and without asking a single question as to whether or not I was taken against my will he puts me in a cell with him. So you see, they're gonna destroy your case – I'm gonna destroy you. And I'm not gonna stop until I have not only your jobs but have turned every resident North and South against you so that it's not just me but all of Riverdale to run you and your druggy children out of town."

"All of you," Keller said before either woman could say another word, "are free to go."

While he moved to unlock the other two cells Sweet Pea stood and helped her to her feet. McCoy watched the way she turned to the boy and the almost soft way he looked down at her, and in her mind it was settled: Lane was with them.

They waited in the lobby to get back what had been taken from them, phones, pocket knives, wallets and the like. And then with howls of freedom they kicked open the doors and met Tall Boy and the others who were waiting for them. Lane had called him an hour ago, having waited to use her phone call to tell him to come pick them up; he honestly didn't think she'd be able to do it again. And he waited as a stream of kids came out of the building not seeing her.

The door opening had both Keller and McCoy turning from their heated argument to see Lane. "What other demands could you possibly have?" Mayor McCoy asked.

But Lane was looking at the Sheriff. "If I tell you what's going on you have to know I won't answer a single question." Before McCoy could finish laughing derisively Keller nodded, and watched the deep breath she took as though to prepare herself. "The man that killed my father is now trying to kill me, there's been two attempts already. That's why I'm with them and you can't say I am. It's someone you see at least once a week, so if you say anything,"

"He'll know where to find you," Keller finished for her with a heavy sigh. She'd known this whole time, he wondered how she'd held onto it all these years.

That was it then, that was best she could do. She wrapped the scarf that was still on his chair back around her head and turned for the door, but a thought caught her and she turned back looking between them. It was out of no real care of her own, she knew they needed to hear it and it would serve her better in the end. "I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you, I respect you both immensely."

And with that she slid the sunglasses in place and walked back out of his office, finding Sweet Pea Fangs and Toni where she'd left them. Sweet Pea stepped in front of her before she could get around him and she looked up at him through the shaded lenses knowing he wanted an answer, and she didn't have one. He hooked the tip of his finger around one of the hinges and pulled the sunglasses low enough to see her eyes, he found enough of an answer in them to push the glasses back up and walk away leaving her to follow. Toni watched him open the door for her noticing the way they stuck close together, enough that their arms brushed the other's but not enough to really touch. Something was happening, she thought following curiously behind them.

"I'll take her," Sweet Pea told Tall Boy, who was looking down at her covered face. Getting his okay Sweet Pea pushed her in the back seat and climbed behind the wheel.

She sat next to Fangs who carried on about how awesome that was and whether she'd seen the look on their faces, Toni agreed having been impressed by how smart Lane handled it. But for the most part Toni snuck glances between the two, Sweet Pea wasn't saying anything and Lane was just barely giving a response before her eyes found Sweet Pea in the mirror watching him just as curiously as Toni was.

"Are you not going to the race?" Toni asked when Sweet Pea pulled up to the trailer park, rather than Tall Boy's home to drop Lane off first. It made more sense to drop her off and then for the three to get their bikes and head over to the street race Tall Boy had told them Jughead arranged.

He shifted his hold on the steering wheel. "I'll meet you there." Feeling her eyes he turned to Toni holding her stare before she finally took the hint and got out, pulling Fangs with her.

Lane sat back watching him through the rearview mirror, having pulled the scarf and glasses off as soon as they got to the Southside. He didn't say a word, but every so often his gaze rose to meet hers before it returned to the road. Something was happening.

She unlocked the door and stepped inside hearing him shut it behind him. "Are you gonna tell me what's wr-" She turned and suddenly found her mouth filled with his, and she blinked trying to figure out what was happening, feeling a fuzzy memory trying to resurface.

This had been on his mind for long enough, seeing how readily she took their side at the station had been what finally sent him over the edge. It was warm and soft and undemanding, and she still wasn't moving. So he leaned back letting her go seeing her furrowed brows and realizing he'd just made a huge mistake.

"Was that you asking me out?"

Taking a breath he masked his vulnerable uncertainty with a rude smirk. "Guess not," he said stepping back.

She was waiting for her mind to start working again, but it was unusually quiet and she didn't know what she was supposed to do with this. "I'd say yes if you were," she said sounding as confused as he felt. She looked up at him seeing him turn with a demanding look in his eye. "I was surprised."

"I gave you more than enough time to respond," he told her, getting too close to truth of why he was upset.

But she shrugged. "It was a lot of surprise." Speechless, she realized, that's what she was – that son of bitch. But what she ended up saying was, "I'm also ninety-five percent sure we've done that when we were drunk."

He found himself nodding because it had felt familiar. And they stood together sighing not sure where to go from here. He looked at her confused face and lowered his eyes, and then looked back to her before his eyes fell, until finally they stuck on her mouth again. "Do you wanna try,"

"No," she answered looking up at him irritably. Seeing his open and almost sweet face her mind finally kicked into gear, because that was the wrong answer. And she took a breath feeling something falling into place. "God yes," she breathed stepping to him and rising on the tips of her toes as he bent low to grab her feeling her legs come around his waist.

It was anything but soft, she kissed like a man on fire desperately looking for water. And he held her feeling for the first time like he was needed.


	10. Chapter 10

_This is a very fluff-filled chapter, but it's important to their character growth so I'm not at all sorry that it has no point other than to deepen their relationship. And I do hope you guys enjoy it, because I loved writing it._

 _That being said, I do realize that people have very specific and different ideas of what Sweet Pea's like (since the show hasn't developed him more than the angry boy always ready for a fight) so this is just my interpretation of him. Specifically how he acts when it's just him and a person he trusts to let his guard down around, because we don't see that in the show. I tried to still keep his gruff exterior, don't know how well I did, so if you think he's a little too soft please let me know so that I can fix it._

* * *

Every so often the headlights of a passing car moved across the ceiling reminding Lane of the fact that she wasn't asleep and this night was dragging on without end just like tomorrow would. When she didn't have an answer to whether or not she was safe Tall Boy confined her to the house; no more going to the shop or the store or the Wyrm, or even a walk around the sad excuse of a neighborhood. She was stir crazy with no visitors and nothing to do.  
His house had never been cleaner, she'd scrubbed it top to bottom everyday the last several days. She hadn't realized how much she counted on Fangs and Toni, and Sweet Pea, to stir things up a little so she didn't completely lose it.

She didn't notice it the first time, but the second small tap had her sitting up on her elbows to see a familiar shape outside the window. With a half smile she swung her legs over the side of the bed and quietly unlocked and opened the window. "Please god tell me you're breaking me out," she whispered. The quiet voices from the TV cut out ten minutes ago which meant Tall Boy was either asleep or on his way.

"It was his idea," Fangs said with an easy smile jerking his head to where Sweet Pea stood leaning against the side of the house behind him, who quickly rolled his eyes turning away. "Miss us already?"

"Desperately," she told Fangs before standing and quietly opening the dresser grabbing pants and socks. Pulling them both on she swung one leg out the window and squeezed her upper half through feeling a hand on her back as she got her footing and pulled her other leg out with her. Fangs slowly and carefully slid the window closed and she turned to look up at Sweet Pea. "Your idea?" she questioned softly catching a flash of his teeth as he walked away shaking his head.

Knowing she was behind him, still looking for an answer, he admitted, "you get bored too quick."

The walk to the trailer park was only five minutes, it wasn't long enough for Lane to really appreciate being outside before she was climbing into Fangs' trailer hearing the door shut behind them. They'd run out of things to talk about remarkably fast: she'd asked what had been happening, and Fangs did his best to think of something but came up short. Hung out, that was his answer. And she nodded politely saying that sounded nice when really she thought it sounded incredibly dull, and Sweet Pea watched her quietly knowing she did. He wanted to be glad to go back to a life before her, see if it would help rearrange his thoughts of her, but hell even he found it boring.

They'd settled back sitting in a row on Fangs' bed watching something he'd found on his laptop when not even ten minutes his light rumbling snore rose louder than the volume of the computer. "That didn't take long," she said folding the sheets back to cover him.

"It never does," Sweet Pea agreed flexing his hands in and out of a fist feeling a little twitchy. They were alone now and the trailer was feeling impossibly small. He wasn't sure what to say, which was unusual for him, and he didn't know what to do, which wasn't as unusual for him but it still made him uncomfortable.

"You wanna go for a walk?"

He turned to her almost surprised, because that sounded like a great idea. A little fresh air to cool him off and some space to put between them so that he wasn't consciously aware of her shoulder against his. So he agreed, and found himself walking with her under the bright moonlight around the perimeter of Sunnyside. Beside him she walked with her arms crossed and he sighed finding himself thinking she did look pretty damn cute in a sweater.

He was as uncomfortable and unsure as she was, Lane realized as they made it back around to the front of the trailer park, neither having said a word. But he was more thick headed than she was and this was gonna be on her. "Mind if we go around again?" she asked planning to keep walking whether he joined her or not. It felt nice giving her legs something to do other than bend as she scrubbed the floorboards.

Shaking his head he held his hand out as though to motion her forward. "After you, princess."

"Don't make that a habit," she said with a finger raised at him in warning as she walked past him.

He found it almost laughable that any part of her was intimidating, but he only smirked and nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"I like the sound of that."

"Yeah I bet you do."

She looked up at him to find he was grinning the same way she did, and that when he looked down catching her eye it disappeared just as quick. She'd had a thought so brief she couldn't appreciate it fully, but she'd missed this. Him. With a heavy roll of her eyes she stopped forcing him to turn as he stopped with her. "We're talking because I'm over this," she told him simple and honest, the way she always was and he'd honestly missed that.

"Lane," he said not wanting to hear it because he knew what she'd say. This was never gonna work.

"Just," she said not letting him say more, "I already don't wanna do this, so just hush for a minute." Taking a breath she pushed her hair back glad he'd shut up so she could think, which really didn't do much for her because her mind had shut down and there currently were no thoughts. This was becoming a very annoying habit with him. "I don't know what this is, or if it even is anything. I mean we'll have to figure that out," she looked up at him seeing his dark brows drawn together as he watched her, "but I don't need it to be right now."

"Wait, hang on," he said stepping back needing room to think because the space around them suddenly felt so close. "You're fine with this?" He had to be hearing her wrong, no way was a Northsider stooping to his level let alone him stooping to hers.

But she raised a shoulder shrugging offhandedly. "Two more years and I'm gone, I was never planning on staying in Riverdale. So no, Sweet Pea, I don't care that you're a Serpent."

She wasn't raised on the same prejudice as every other Northsiders, she'd never had a problem with them – which is something he never let himself consider. "Say we find a way out of this and you go home, what then?" he asked thinking he already knew the answer. It'd been a thought that stuck in the back of his mind for weeks: no matter how this ended it would end in her leaving him.

But she shrugged again not really knowing, and for once in her life not having the answer didn't bother her. "Well then we'd have to figure out what this is," she told him plainly.

"You really don't care?" he asked needing to hear it again because he was still having a hard time believing that.

She blinked watching his shadowed face as close as could but not having enough light to see what expression he wore. "No," she told him again, "but clearly you do."

Her tone was one of simple understanding and it lacked any bite or accusation, so the guilt he felt was his alone as he watched her start walking again. She looked so small with her arms crossed and the sweater pulled tight around her against the cold, and it seemed so strange to see her alone when he felt such a pull to walk at her side. With a small sigh he slowly followed her leaving a little space between them when he'd seen clearly in her moon-lit eyes her disappointment before she turned away.

Hearing him ambling behind her she could almost see the way his hands were stuffed in his pockets as she heard him kick at the gravel, and she rolled her eyes. "You gonna catch up or do you wanna keep pouting?"

"There it is," he muttered hearing the familiar monotone impatience that seemed to encompass her. It took less than five long-legged strides to catch up and he walked beside her with his fists tucked in his pockets as he glared at the dark surrounding them. They were quiet for several moments, Lane seeing in his deeply knit brows that he was thinking something he wasn't too happy with, and him trying and failing to convince himself to just shut up. "What if I didn't?" suddenly exploded out of him and she turned surprised by the force in which he'd said it, and it seemed to surprise him too.

"Care?" she clarified and he nodded, his mouth too busy frowning to speak. And she was left still being the one to figure this out. "I don't know," she told him only half honest. Because she knew if they did this she'd probably never leave. "But I'm fine just going with it until we do."

He found himself nodding thinking he could be fine with that, hooking up for a bit until she left even though he knew she wasn't like that and he didn't want her to be. "You don't seem like a 'go with it' kind of girl," he said still waiting for the other shoe to drop or the joke to land, for something to say this wasn't what he thought it was.

"Yeah," she agreed never once thinking she'd be in this situation. She'd had it all planned out, from now to college, and it all went tits up and now she was standing in the dark with a boy that was as stupidly infuriating as he was loyal. "You know when I considered who I'd fall for I didn't think it'd be an impulsive hothead," she admitted with a stark honesty she only gave to him.

"You're falling for me?" he asked with his brows raised and his mouth smirking.

She rolled her eyes scoffing. "I believe I said considering."

"So you're considering falling for me?"

In a rare unguarded moment she laughed faintly shaking her head, but her mind unstuck because she'd finally heard the thought she'd been waiting for. And she looked up at him finding herself wanting, whether or not her stubbornness would allow it. "For the love of God," she sighed catching the way he grinned, "would you get down here and kiss me already?"

His face split with a wide smile as he stepped to her taking her face in his hands and tipping it back. "Yes ma'am," he told her again seeing the way her lips pursed like they always did when she was trying not to smile. But he quickly covered her mouth with his feeling her start to give in before he pulled back, and then he kissed her again long enough to make her want it but not enough to satisfy as he backed off again hearing her impatient sigh. Over and over he pressed quick kisses on her slowly frowning mouth knowing he was gonna give in sooner rather than later, but it was too fun teasing her.

"You're an ass," she mumbled between kisses feeling the way he smirked.

"You're catching on," he said against her mouth before he stood back looking down at her needy eyes seeing the quick rise and fall of her chest. A moment too warm passed between them and they came crashing together, and he stood with her in his arms kissing her open mouthed as he'd been refusing to let himself want.

He stumbled into his trailer catching them against the door pressing himself into her close enough to feel how hot her skin was. Blindly reaching for the light he somehow made it to the bed without his legs giving out from the way her tongue grazed his teeth. His head was bowed low and he'd tipped hers far back so that they lay connected at the hip. She lost a lot of her control but he was happy to make up for it, and his hands came around her waist pulling at the waistband of her sweatpants. At some point he lost her mouth and he trailed wet kisses along her jaw.

There was a cloudy shift in her mind and she mistook his hands for someone else feeling an immoveable weight settling in her bones along with the sudden urge to flee. It was too much, too close. "Stop," she said on a broken breath.

It was the faintest rush of air he didn't quite hear beneath the pounding of his heart, but he moved from where he was kissing her neck looking for her mouth and saw the way she blinked knowing he had heard something. "Lane?"

"I just couldn't breathe," she said still feeling like she couldn't.

His breaths were heavy but hers were too quick, too much like panic. "Hey," he said pulling his hands from around her and instead cupped the top of her head so she couldn't keep turning away from him. She still wouldn't look at him and he could see her eyes were wet. "Hey," he said again raising his voice a little as he turned her head toward his. And when she finally looked at him he saw the same blank eyes she always wore, but they were filling with tears and her breathing was still so fast. "I'm not gonna do anything you don't want me to," he told her firmly. "Okay?"  
Something in her eyes changed before she nodded, something that looked like relief. And so he settled over her still feeling her legs tight around him as she seemed to slowly let go trusting him. It took her a minute before she could really look at him again, feeling his thumb running along her cheek almost soothingly. "He didn't stop it before anything happened, did he?" he asked feeling her sigh as she turned away from him, as far as he'd let her with his hand still cupped around her head.

With her face half turned into his palm she shook her head, feeling safe as she only ever did with him. "He thought that version would be easier since I didn't remember anything."

"But you do."

"Bits and pieces, but I don't think he got any further than my clothes," she said admitting to him what she hadn't even admitted to herself. Taking another breath, feeling calm settle around her, she turned back to him to see he was still watching her. "I'm sorry," she told him softly.

His face screwed up like he didn't believe it. "So you're not ready," he said with an offhanded shrug, "you don't have to be sorry for that." He was honestly just glad she wasn't freaking out anymore, he felt like he was the one who needed to apologize for making her feel like that.

She looked at his dark eyes seeing they were softened almost to the point of vulnerability, and she could see he felt bad. And she didn't want him to, because in that moment she thought the world of him. "You know for an asshole you can be really sweet."

He blinked hearing in her still soft voice she was somewhere between okay and fragile, and she'd never struck him as the delicate type. "I should warn you, if anyone asks I will tell them we had sex."

Her eyes might've rolled but she was smiling faintly appreciating the humor. "Well you do have a reputation to uphold," she said in a faux serious manner.

Shifting his weight so that he was sitting up more he wore a mischievous look and a sly grin. "You're damn right I do," he said sneaking his hands under her shirt to lightly run up her sides feeling her squirm.

"No," she told him sternly pushing against him. But his smile only widened and his fingers pressed further dancing up the length of her torso and she couldn't help but laugh as she tried to twist away. "Stop," she giggled breathlessly. And he did the moment she said it and she rolled back onto her back beneath him staring up at him trying to look displeased, but from the way he grinned she knew he wasn't buying it. "Ass," she muttered, mostly for effect.

He propped an elbow on the bed leaning his cheek in hand as he hovered over her. "I can tell you mean that," he said in a way that was supposed to be serious.

"Oh I do," she told him with a more convincing severity. "I don't know what I saw in you."

His brows rose and his eyes filled with the same mischief. "You wanna go again?" he teased before tickling her again, feeling her shoulders shake with her laughter as she jerked beneath him. Having had his fun he regretfully removed his hands from her warm stomach and wrapped his arms beneath her settling on top of her comfortably. She looked happier than he thought he'd ever seen her, her face was slightly flushed and her eyes were glistening, and even when she stopped smiling her eyes still gleamed. And his thoughts strayed, as they'd been continuously straying, to her pretty pouting mouth. "Can I kiss you again?"

Staring up at his unguarded face she wondered how they'd gotten to this point and if it'd been leading there the whole time. And as she blinked she realized she didn't really care, that she was almost happy to be there. So she kissed him, and she kissed him again, and again and again.

.^.

The next day came slowly, softly, as she woke feeling better rested than she had in almost two months. She lifted her head from where she'd tucked it against Sweet Pea's back and stretched feeling her arm around his middle and the way her body had curled around him. She didn't know what she found funnier, that she'd scooted a foot lower than the pillow so that she could spoon him, or that he was sleeping soundly content to be the little spoon. Either way she sighed leaning against him a moment not wanting to move. But a thought had her reaching for his phone and the time had her jerking up.

"Shit," she muttered dropping it and pulling on her shoes and sweater.

He shot up at the door slamming and rubbed his eyes as he rolled over to find his trailer empty. Still feeling her warmth surrounding him he laid back disappointed and alone reaching for the phone that was now under him, and he too sat up at seeing the time knowing Tall Boy would've probably just woken up.

…

Tall Boy stood with a hand raised to knock on the bedroom feeling a draft of cold air coming from under the door. Thinking the worst he threw the door open and looked from the neatly made bed with her shoes tucked beneath it to the window where he found her sitting in her pajamas with a sweater wrapped around her staring at the sky. "You shouldn't be near the window," he told her gently pulling her to her feet and pushing her back as he shut it and lowered the blinds.

"I was hoping it'd snow," she said going with him to living room.

He knew she was bored out of her mind, that going to the shop had distracted her from the fact that she wasn't in school like she should've been, and she'd been looking so down he almost thought of bringing her again. She looked different that morning, her eyes weren't so dull. "Just a little longer," he told her reaching a hand to the top of her head as he left her.

She looked after him not knowing what he meant because she didn't tell him her plan, and she was starting to wonder if he had his own. Finding herself once more alone she turned to the small empty house and hummed while she cleaned it again.

…

Come nightfall, after she'd tired of watching wrestling with Tall Boy, she was once more lying on her back staring at the dark ceiling waiting for a car to pass to see if any shadows made a shape because counting sheep had gotten annoying.

There was a quiet noise to her left too soft to make out but a rush of cold her turning to see a large shape leaning in the window. Beside herself she smiled as she climbed out of bed and knelt beside it.

"You should really wear pants," Sweet Pea whispered looking at her in the moonlight. Her hair hung in loosely messy curls around her face, and before she could answer he'd leaned forward catching her mouth in a quick peck.

"I don't remember you having a problem when we went to bed last night," she mumbled against his lips feeling him smile. "No Fangs?" she asked wanting to hear his answer.

He shrugged. "I'm selfish. Get dressed and come here." He watched her mouth form this coy little smirk before she quietly grabbed pants and a thick sweater and he was pulling her outside before carefully shutting the window after her. They walked a little ways in a comfortable quiet before he suddenly exclaimed, "I don't hold hands."

She turned to him mildly surprised but mostly amused before she asked, "do I look the type?"

"Just wanted to make that clear," he told her, having been thinking of her in terms of other girls who'd tried and all he knew was he didn't like it.

They went several more steps before she turned to him with a wicked grin. "You know I'm gonna hold your hand now, right?" she teased hearing him growl and she chuckled lightly. "I'm just a small little thing and I need a big strong man to hold my hand."

"Oh just shut up and take it," he grumbled thrusting his hand at her, but she laughed smacking it lightly and kept walking. But he slung an arm around her shoulder pulling her to his side finding that she fit comfortably against him.

"I'm not this type either," she told him, but she didn't try pulling away.

"Same," was his simple agreement. After a moment he felt her small arm come around his waist and he hugged her closer.

Getting her in his trailer his thoughts got a little cloudy and he started kissing her and just couldn't seem to stop, at least not until she asked him to. And he did every time, because every time she asked. Night after night, after night. They'd be going on just fine until there was too much heat and he'd reach for her clothes and she'd draw into herself. And it ended with his head in the crook of his neck catching his breath as he tried to calm himself down.

And like every night before she laid with her arms around his shoulders feeling his hot breaths on her collarbone as he sighed uncomfortably trying to shift his hips off of hers. He continued to surprise her with how gentle he could be. It didn't make any sense to her, how much she wanted it for it only to end here. And she had no problem sleeping in the same bed as him without pants on. That thought had her eyes snapping open, she was such an idiot for not realizing it before. "Get off me."

He rolled over without question and turned prepared to ask if she was alright, because usually they'd talk a little, he'd get her to laugh, and they'd kiss a little more before going to bed. And he was fine with that, he liked just holding her. But she climbed off the bed and he sat up watching her pull shirt over her head. "Lane?" he asked tracing the length of her back feeling his breathing hitch. "Wh-uh, I don't, this isn't, um," his stuttering was silenced as she stepped out of her pants.

And she turned to him wearing only a mildly curious expression as his eyes fell to her chest before he quickly looked away. She stepped in the place between his legs looking down at the side of his face as he still kept refusing to look at her. "I figured it out," she told him doing her best not to smile in case he looked up at her and got offended.

But he still wasn't looking at her, because he knew he wouldn't be able to tear his eyes away. "Yeah I got that part," he said in a strained voice. If what he was feeling in that moment was even half as uncomfortable as she kept getting then he could understand what made her wanna stop: he felt too close and too warm, his pants were tight, and he was very aware of what she wanted and he wasn't as sure.

The gnawing uneasy feeling that made her nauseous wasn't there this time, all she was left with was trust for this boy and a want that was burning her alive. "Problem's with you taking my clothes off, they're already off," she said with a small shrug.

"I can see that."

This time she smiled, because he could honestly be just the sweetest thing. "Sweet Pea."

His dark eyes flicked to hers, desperate and nearly begging. "Baby I don't think I could stop," he told her honestly. He watched her brows draw together and he quickly corrected himself. "I mean I would if you asked, but it's not gonna be easy."

"Baby?"

Crap. He'd been thinking of her too much that past week and that word had gotten stuck in his head, he hadn't meant to say it out loud. "We can talk about that when you're not naked."

"Well it's your move," she told him bluntly.

Somehow he hadn't expected that, and he had to take a moment to catch his breath. No question he wanted this, it's why he kept trying, but at some point he'd started counting on her to stop him because he didn't want it this way. "I'm an idiot," he sighed not really looking for an answer, but she still gave a soft 'sometimes'. His hands came around her hips feeling her soft skin against his palms and he let his forehead rest against her chest hating her for making him like this. "Not tonight."

She blinked stunned thinking she'd misheard, and she stared down at the top of his head waiting for him to make a move. But he just sat there against her holding her, and her perpetually unaffected face softened.

Feeling her hands on his wrists pulling him away he flopped back on the bed with a pitiful groan knowing if he watched her get dressed he'd change his mind. "I already regret this." He didn't get any warning before she sat herself on his lap with her legs spread around him, and he raised the hand he'd covered his eyes with and looked at her grinning face. "I hate you," he muttered before laying back down.

"No," she said failing so very badly at wiping that smile from her face, "you want it to be special." It'd taken her a little bit to get why he'd turned her down, but his growled sigh was answer enough.

"I swear to god," he warned, already feeling like his face was too warm.

But she laid over him folding her arms over his chest to rest her chin as she looked down at him. "I got lucky finding you."

It was the closest either of them had come to admitting what was going on between them and he really thought it'd end up being him to break first. "Yes you did," he agreed hearing her brief laughter as she climbed off him.

"Come snuggle with me," she said sounding morose as she climbed under the covers, "I know you enjoy it."

Acting like it was a chore he kicked his shoes off and worked his jeans off before laying down with an arm around her keeping her close. He did enjoy it, the feel of her against him warm and soft. "If you tell anyone."

"You'd deny it," she finished for him.

But he shook his head. "No one would believe you."

She smiled as she couldn't seem to stop herself from doing and pressed further against him feeling his hold tighten around her shoulders. She was feeling something, she wasn't sure what yet but it was new, and she liked it.

.^.

He was woken by the loud clap of the door and he shot up, only this time he was consciously aware of Lane against his back and he was quick to throw an arm over her as a means of protection. The two looked up to see a very irate Tall Boy filling the doorway. He didn't move as she climbed out of the bed and got dressed, and as she maneuvered around him he cast a dark glare at the boy before following her outside slamming the door behind him.

He'd never so much as raised his voice at her but he did that morning after they were home, he yelled til his voice was raw. But opening her door to find her bed empty and unmade and the window left open he'd thought the absolute worst, and it was a panicked desperate thought that she'd gone to the kid she was so attached to.

She took it all in stride not offering a word of defense. She'd come to him asking for help and he'd done more than he ever needed to. When he'd gotten it out of his system he was left looking at her downcast face and he sighed realizing there wasn't a thing in this world he wouldn't do for her, and after all he'd done already. She'd hate him if she knew the truth. "You do that to me again I will lock you in this house," he told her in a calm manner and she nodded her agreement.

Come next morning he opened the bedroom door without knocking and was stopped by the sight of Sweet Pea sprawled on his back next to her and her laying on her side with an arm draped over his waist. Sighing Tall Boy closed the door not knowing if it was the night they killed that man together or if it'd happened before, but at some point they'd refused to be separated.


	11. Chapter 11

It wasn't that first morning finding them, nor the second or the third, it was the following night when Tall Boy turned the volume of the television up to block out their muffled voices that he finally sighed knowing he couldn't keep dragging this out.

"How long has he been out?" Lane asked laying beside Sweet Pea with a sheet carelessly thrown over them.

Sweet Pea shrugged not remembering the specifics, only that FP hadn't been by the Wyrm and they hadn't heard from him. "Long enough to get a job at Pops," he answered sounding bitter.

She turned her head to look at him feeling his fingers light as they trailed the length of her thigh. It'd been at least a few days, she figured that much herself. "And you what, just forgot to tell me?" she asked with a faint underlying teasing in her tone.

"Can you blame me?" he asked grabbing the thick of her leg and rolling her onto her side so that she lay facing him. "You're very distracting." He let his hand trail up her hip and sneak under her shirt to settle over her waist, which was as far as he was okay pushing her.

"You're full of crap," she said before he covered her mouth with his, which is what he normally did when they talked about Serpent related things. "Is Toni behaving?"

He pulled back fixing her with a curious stare. There was no reason Lane would know how much crap Toni was giving Tall Boy, calling him a jailer and Lane a prisoner. "You cheating on me?" he asked joking only mildly.

She knew part of him was serious, he was gauging where her head was at in relation to him – to them. "Well if it wasn't you it was gonna be her," she shrugged watching his expression harden unamused.

"You wanna try that again?" he asked running his hands up and down her sides making her yelp quietly as she squirmed in effort to get away. It ended in her back to his chest and his hands pressed firmly over her stomach as he nipped at her ear. "Now who's full of crap," he said hearing her breathless chuckle. But he thought about it, as she always made him do, and he came over every night so there was only one option. "You've been calling her."

"You got that faster than I thought you would," she said finding it a little too amusing to make him think things through and wait for how long it took him.

He was aware she did this, and had she been facing him and the room light enough to see her he knew the way her eyes would glitter. "Sure you wanna have said that?" he asked letting it hang between a warning and a dare.

With a playful grin she rolled over to face him finding her nose brushing his from how close they were. "What are you gonna do to me if I say yes?" she asked instead hearing the sharp breath he took at the way she teased him.

She was gonna catch him in a particularly weak moment and he didn't know how he'd stop himself. "That mouth's gonna get you in trouble," he warned her.

"So do something about it," she said in a soft breath.

His own grin had turned to an almost happy smile and he leaned closer brushing her lips, but a loud pounding on the door had him pulling back.

"You two decent?"

While Sweet Pea answered yes and sat up to address Tall Boy fully, Lane only turned on her back and propped herself up on her elbows wondering if this was the night he was gonna tell her Sweet Pea had to go. When Tall Boy told her to do something she didn't so much as shake her head, but she'd fight him on this. So when he stepped into the room looking down at the two with moderately irritated eyes she got prepared.

As if he could see her resolve, as if he'd been seeing it when every morning she came out to have breakfast and looked up at him knowing he knew Sweet Pea was crawling out the window, he sighed and nodded. "Fine," he told her watching how quick she sat up with a leg over the side of the bed. "Two days a week."

She was on her feet in a flash feeling Sweet Pea's arm fall from around her as she moved to stand in front of Tall Boy not caring that she was in just a shirt and underwear. "To do what?" she asked, throwing those words at him so fast her anticipation was clear. "Go to the Wyrm, the shop, him?" she jerked a hand to where Sweet Pea sat on the bed watching them quietly, knowing better than to think he had any say between them.

Kid was after something, but that's all he knew. "You can go to the Wyrm two days a week, that's all I'm comfortable giving you right now." Now he waited her out hearing in her silence she was thinking.

"Still no shop?"

A faint smile pulled at his mouth the same way it did when the guys asked about her, she'd made quite the place for herself here. "Too many windows," he told her seeing her nod in understanding. "And as long as you keep the noise down I don't care if you come over," he said looking over her head to the boy still waiting on the bed, who gave a quick nod and a quiet okay. Turning back to Lane, who'd uncrossed her arms and now stood in a less defensive position, he told her, "don't forget to call the step-mom tomorrow, because she will call me and I'll tell her he knocked you up."

She smacked his arm with a faint laugh hearing his rumble deep in his chest. "Take your sass with you," she said shooing him back into the hall. He ruffled her hair bidding her a goodnight and she turned shutting the door and climbed back in the bed laying on her back with her legs curled.

It wasn't long before Sweet Pea laid down with her, but as he'd been doing more recently he laid with his head over her chest and wrapped his arms around her waist. And she wondered if he did it because he liked to hold her or because he liked when she held him. Either way her arms came around his broad shoulders and her hand cupped the side of his face pulling him closer feeling him sigh as he settled further against her.

At some point during the night she'd rolled onto her side so that when Sweet Pea woke that morning it was curled around her holding her tight. He sat up on an elbow staring down at the side of her face resisting the want in his fingers to touch her because she was the lightest damn sleeper, so instead he laid with his legs tucked behind hers and an arm still wrapped across her chest as he hovered over her tracing the length of her nose to her mouth and along her jaw to her cheekbone. She had such delicate features and the word pretty was meant for softer things than her but he thought it then as she took too deep of a breath and stretched.

"You stare too loud," she said in a voice made deeper by sleep and rolled onto her back so that his face was above hers. She looked at his dark eyes made warm as they only ever seemed to be when they were alone and sighed having to force herself to remember one of them at least had somewhere to be. Regretfully she reached a hand to his chest before rolling away and climbing out of bed.

He reached for her catching her leg so that his fingers held the soft inside of her thigh, and she turned back to him with heated eyes. "Come back, I'll skip today."

Her response was to swat at the back of his hand hard enough to sting and as his brows drew together unhappily she walked around the bed grabbing a pair of pants. "I've seen your grades, Sweet Pea, you're not skipping."

"What would you do if I smacked your ass like that?" he asked looking from her generous hips to her dancing eyes.

He'd done it once a few days ago after she'd said something particularly biting, and it was as close as they'd gotten before he eventually rolled off of her with a pained groan. She'd laid there so disappointed that she'd convinced him to get himself off in front of her. And she'd looked at him in the same burning way she was looking at him now. "I'd enjoy it," she answered coyly as she left him there.

Shaking his head at how effortlessly she riled him up he was slow to get up and follow her; he found her in the bathroom and stood pressed against her back as she brushed her teeth. She bent to spit and his hands came around her hips holding her against him as she stood up looking at him in the mirror. Pressing a chaste kiss to the back of her head he said, "we'd have the house to ourselves."

She turned to him giving him the toothbrush and fixed him with a stern look. "Get a good grade on your test and I'll think about it. I'll see you later." She left him grumbling about how he shouldn't have asked for her help studying. There was no kiss goodbye, no looks of longing at having to spend time apart – they weren't the type.

"Morning," Tall Boy greeted from the kitchen table when she came around the corner. She gave a soft good morning in return as she grabbed a bowl and cereal, and he sat waiting for the roar of the motorcycle Sweet Pea was now parking in the driveway to let them know he'd gone. But while she sat beside him pouring milk in the bowl Sweet Pea came around the corner and stood with a hand on back of Lane's chair.

"I'll take her to the Wyrm," he told the older man. A heavy look passed between the two, an unspoken dare in Sweet Pea's dark eyes asking to be challenged. Lane glanced between them before she raised the spoon to her mouth wondering what had happened the night Tall Boy had come home livid several nights before.

"Pick her up after nightfall," was Tall Boy's only stipulation. And from the way he smirked Tall Boy knew he wouldn't listen.

His hand brushed Lane's cheek fondly before he marched out of the house letting the door slam behind him. Casually Lane continued eating pretending not to notice.

"He'd listen to you," Tall Boy commented as his eyes returned to the newspaper he'd been reading before she came out.

"Tell me what happened," she countered without looking up.

He fixed her with a sharp stare hearing so much of her old man in that simple statement, and it had his hand tightening around his mug. "It's Serpent business."

"Then it'll take a Serpent to fix it." She jumped at his hand slamming on the table with a loud bang and looked at him with such knowing in her eyes it made his skin crawl.

"I'm sorry," he told her quickly, nursing the sting in his palm against her warm hand. "Things have been a little difficult lately."

She blinked feeling his hand trail up her arm to her face and she leaned into his touch wondering what he wasn't telling her, because that morning he looked like a guilty man. "Is it what you're doing for me?" she asked him, because she still didn't know. All he'd tell her was to give him a little more time and he'd fix things, she didn't understand how since he didn't know who was after her.

Rubbing her cheek with his calloused thumb he stood putting his dishes in the sink, buying himself a little time to come up with a response. "They won't understand why I had to do it," he said dancing as close to the truth as he dared when she was too smart to not read between the lines.

Staring at his back as he leaned over the sink with his head hung low it hit her all of sudden, harder than any physical blow and she turned back to her now soggy bowl of cereal trying to catch the breath she'd lost. He knew who killed her father. Her mind stuttered and couldn't seem to pick back up and she looked at the cereal on her spoon like it might have the answers for her. "Would I?"

With a sigh his head sunk lower thinking it was nothing short of a miracle she hadn't remembered more before now, and the fact that she was still sitting in this kitchen with him meant she hadn't remembered the worst of it. Taking a breath he righted himself and moved to stand beside where she sat at the table, and she looked up with eyes so young and trusting. "I'd never hurt you," he told her, as he'd told her once before. And when her eyes didn't change he bent to kiss the crown of her head still feeling her draw into his touch.

As he left she sat staring at the wall in front of her with a realization she didn't want and it anchored her to the chair so that she couldn't move. And she blinked trying so hard not to think it, refusing to remember things she'd forced herself to forget because she didn't want it.

…

If it wasn't for the fact that they'd both driven their bikes to school Fangs would've come with him to pick Lane up. And he still would've but Sweet Pea had refused telling him they'd meet up at the Wyrm. It seemed like so long since he had to share her he just wanted a few minutes.

He was uneasy by her not answering the door, and when he opened it to find there wasn't a single light on or a waft of cleaning supplies his stomach dropped. His thoughts were so focused on her he forgot to shut the door and he glanced at the empty kitchen as he continued for the dark bedroom. "Lane?" he asked hearing the panicked edge in his voice.

"I'm in here."

Releasing a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding he flicked on the light and looked at the unmade bed before he stepped further into the room looking into the closet. She was on the floor with her knees drawn to her chest and he crouched down beside her and asked, "what's going on?"

She took a breath and opened her mouth long before she spoke. "He wasn't there," she said sounding very small.

"Who?" he asked as he sat half in the closet, too big to fit all of him inside.

She was sitting in the closet the same way she'd been when her father died, and she looked up but it wasn't her step mother who found her like she'd always thought and it wasn't some faceless person with long dark blonde hair she'd been remembering lately. It was Sweet Pea, and she sighed finally letting her world fall apart because she knew he'd hold her together. "Why would he have been? He isn't the type to get his hands dirty." She looked at him shaking her head, thinking things he hadn't caught onto yet. "He would've paid someone else to pull the trigger."

"Okay," he said knowing there was more but not enough to know what. There was a thought she hadn't shared yet, and he knew well enough to know that meant she didn't feel safe enough to say it out loud.

She felt his hand on her arm and she jumped to her feet lunging out of the closet. "We should go."

He was slow to stand with her seeing a cagey look in her eye. "We don't have to if you're not feeling up t-"

"I don't wanna be in this house anymore."

"Okay," he said again and followed her outside. But he stood for a moment watching her catch her breath thinking about what to do before he finally made a decision.

She figured it out in less than two minutes they weren't going to the Wyrm, he'd turned the wrong way. And she sat with her head on his shoulder holding him as he drove feeling it all swell within her too much for her to hold, so that when he finally stopped on a secluded overpass she didn't move.

He gave her time because he couldn't give her anything else feeling her hands clutching his shirt as though to hold him to keep from sinking into the ground. And as she climbed off the bike and stood looking at the darkening sky he finally asked what he realized as they left the house: "how'd you know he killed your father if he wasn't there that night?"

Her face cracked like glass and her shoulders shook from the sob she refused to let out, and she knew if she looked at him she'd never stop crying. So to the sky she said, "because I saw something I shouldn't have." She took a breath that sounded more a gasp and felt her chin quivering. "I was the target," she said and her head dropped as her shoulders shook. Bringing her hands to her face she felt the first tears slide down her palms. "He's dead because of me."

She'd barely choked that out before Sweet Pea gathered her against him feeling her knuckles dig into the center of his chest from the way she covered her face as she cried. This wasn't like before, it wasn't just the release of pent up tears, this was pain. Gut wrenching, heart broken pain. And he stood with his arms around her and not a damn thing he could do to make this okay.

The sun had fully set by the time she'd finally caught her breath enough to get herself to calm down, to just keep breathing. And when the weight of it all came back she counted to ten, because as her mother had taught her anything was manageable for ten seconds. So she counted to ten as many times as it took before her mind could settle on her being okay, on him holding her so she didn't fall apart. Until finally she settled against him with her head on his chest and her arms around his waist, and when he was sure the worst had passed he cupped the back of her head and bent to kiss her forehead.

"I'm okay," she said softly. She didn't need to be able to see him to know the look he was wearing, he knew she wasn't. "I'm okay enough to go." But that wasn't completely true because she left out the most important part, him being there is what made her okay enough.

So they left. And again it was only a few turns for her to know they weren't going to the Wyrm, and she appreciated the hell out of that. He parked the bike outside his trailer and let her in. They kicked their shoes off by the door, or rather he kicked his and she set hers neatly on the floor before grabbing his boots and setting them beside her small keds.

There was a disconnect between them that she could feel, he didn't want to be there what she didn't know is whether or not it was her he didn't want to be there with. And she found herself suddenly afraid of him leaving. "Maybe I should go home, I'd be terrible company," she said sitting on the bed not looking at him.

He sat beside her and they stared at the small kitchen space he rarely used for more than packaged noodles. "Are either of us ever really good company?" he asked as a joke, but even to his own ears it fell flat. He couldn't keep his hands still, or his leg that kept bouncing up and down.

"Then go hang out with your friends and I'll be here when you get back."

With a sigh he stilled realizing he was gonna have to say it, he really hated this sometimes. "It's not you."

"Then what is it?" she snapped feeling too vulnerable to be anything but short.

Another sigh as his head hung. "I don't know what to do," he finally admitted. "You're sitting there and you need me, and I just," he ran a hand through his hair, "I don't know what to do."

She looked at her hands too small for what she was carrying, and realized for the first time that these last couple months had been bearable because he'd been picking up what she couldn't carry. "Are you gonna leave?"

It was the most honest she'd been and with a hand under her chin he turned to head toward him. "Not unless you ask." He watched her swallow as she took his hand from her face so she could turn away, so he wouldn't see her relief.

She sat for several moments blinking back the swell in her eyes, and she wondered what it was about him that made her feel like it was okay to cry. "I'm very uncomfortable."

"Good god yes," was his gruff agreement, hearing her small laugh beside him. "Fangs showed me another one of those stupid videos you find funny."

She stood with him prepared to crawl in the bed and she paused looking up at him. "I hate to break it to you, but that laughter you're hearing is coming from you."

"Okay, smart ass," he said seeing her faint smile, "take your pants off and get in the bed."

She climbed in the bed after him and settled next to him with her back against his chest and his arm around her middle. And it was enough.

…

They were woken by a pounding on the door, and Sweet Pea sat up with an arm still around her shoulders as she laid across his chest. Looking at the clock he saw it was after the time Tall Boy would've come for her and he sighed hopping out of bed and answering the door.

"She's in there, isn't she?" Fangs asked when he saw Sweet Pea's messy hair and squinty eyes from the bright sun. "Morning Lane," he called but Sweet Pea pulled the door closer to him so he couldn't see inside.

"Hey F-"

"Don't answer that," Sweet Pea grumbled rolling his eyes at the way Fangs grinned.

He knew it, as soon as him and Toni realized he wasn't bringing Lane like he'd said they both did. "Lets not tell Toni," Fangs said watching Sweet Pea's brows draw together. "We placed a bet, I thought you'd get together earlier. She doesn't need to know she won." His eyes lit up when he saw Lane's tired face emerge from around Sweet Pea, and his smile grew when he noticed she was in a tank top without a bra, and underwear. "Good morning," he said again.

It was anyone's guess whether she opened her eyes or not as she told him, "he's staying with me today, we'll see you tomorrow," and promptly shut the door in his face.

Locking the door Sweet Pea turned to see her laying on her stomach and he laid down beside her, but mostly on top of her. They were content to lay there drifting in and out of sleep, at some point she'd rolled onto her back and his hands had crept up her shirt as his head laid over her chest. The next time he woke it was to an empty bed and he sat up to find her at the sink with his toothbrush in her mouth as she rifled through his junk filled pantry.

They settled back on the bed sharing a half eaten box of store-bought donuts watching a movie on his laptop. It was a quiet, serene, morning and it almost felt like a dream in that they might wake at any moment and it all be in their heads. He shut the computer when the movie ended and sat back with his eyes closed content to keep laying there with his arms around her.

And she laid against him feel safe and warm. "I wanted it to be you," her mouth said before she had enough time to think about it. She heard his quiet hum as he turned to her wondering what incomplete thought she'd given him. "I needed someone, and I wanted it to be you."

He looked at the side of her face as she absentmindedly played with her hair, and he wanted them to be something. He knew why he wanted her: because he thought she was beautiful, nad before that he wanted to protect her, and before that he thought she was strong. He could imagine driving with her head on his shoulder and her feet out the window not knowing where they were going and never once getting bored. "Me too," he told her, admitted to her.

They didn't know who moved first, if it was one or the other or both, but they came together like they were jumping off a cliff: scared, but reckless. And when they'd reached the bottom they came up for air gasping, laying side by side with sweat on their chests and their clothes on the floor.

"How was that?" he asked out of breath feeling her hand running gently along his shoulder as she stared at the ceiling.

"It was fine," she answered with a nod.

His once relaxed face hardened with a concern that bordered on hurt. "Just fine?" he asked wanting to clarify further.

She turned to him and shrugged, never one to mask the truth to avoid hurt feelings. "It was good while it was going," she told him honestly. There was a light in his eye as he smirked and she watched him with a stomach-clenching anticipation because it was similar to the way he looked at her right before he tickled her, but this was hungrier.

"You should've said something sooner," he mumbled against her neck trailing kisses down her chest feeling her breaths growing short when she finally caught on as he moved lower. Her hands curled into fists around the sheets as his head sank between her thighs. He didn't stop til she was shaking.

He laid back with a satisfied grin hearing her catching her breath beside him. "Was that better?" he asked mostly to piss her off because she'd made known how much she'd liked that. And he chuckled at her hand smacking him as she scoffed.

"The first one, fine. But that second one, you just wanted to gloat," she said refusing the smile that tugged hard at the corners of her mouth.

"You're damn right," he agreed, "I rocked your world." He turned seeing her roll her eyes but he caught the way her mouth twitched. "Wanna know something else?" he asked and he waited as she turned to him, meeting her dancing green eyes. "I failed that test."

A beat passed between them as she remembered her words from yesterday and she laughed, loudly and without care, something she hadn't done in what felt like forever.

.^.

Sweet Pea lay on the bed with an arm propped under him watching her towel off her hair. "I don't know where you think you're going," he told her, after several failed attempts to convince her to come back to bed. "I'm not taking you anywhere." She turned to him with a dry look and he pulled the sheet lower on his hips and raised a brow as her eyes refused to follow. "You can have all you want if you come back to bed."

She'd fallen for him enough that morning and they'd already missed lunch. "We said we'd go, so take a shower and get dressed." And with that she pulled on the jeans she'd worn last night and rifled through his drawers for a shirt that wouldn't end up looking like a dress on her.

With a disappointed sigh he stood up stretching and picked one for her, and as she put it on and irritably looked down at herself his smile returned. He'd picked a v-neck knowing it'd fall too low on her chest and as he'd hoped it ended where her bra did. "Guess you'll just have to take that off."

She looked up at him and raised a finger in warning. "Shut your wonderful mouth and take a shower."

He stood back watching her work the bra out from under her shirt. "You remember, it was like the second day you were here, and you admitted you were a virgin and I said no wonder you're so uptight? I was wrong."

It was her turn to smirk and she looked at him over her shoulder. "I could've told you that."

She straightened up while he showered, putting back the things he'd left out, making the bed, cleaning a stain off the counter, convinced him to put his pants on by promising he could take them off that night.

It'd been weeks since her last visit to the Whyte Wyrm, she forgot how smoky and neon lighted it was – she'd missed it. "Oh my god," Toni exclaimed at the sight of her, jumping from behind the bar and throwing her arms around her. "I was about to kick down his door and steal you myself."

Lane stood with her arms at her side and huffed. "Are you gonna let go?"

"Not til you hug me back."

With a roll of her eyes she patted Toni's back miserably. "Thank god," she muttered when Toni finally stepped back. She turned planning to head to the bar and collided with Fangs who'd been waiting his turn and she groaned.

"Shouldn't have been so likeable," Sweet Pea said leaving her there.

"You're gonna pay for that later."

He called back to her over his shoulder, "what are you gonna do, kick me in the shin?"

Finally getting Fangs off she ran her hands over her chest as though to wipe the remnants of them both off of her. "Yeah enjoy your kneecaps," she told Sweet Pea as she passed him on her way to the bar, "I'll bust them later." She slid onto a stool and waited for whenever Toni would come back and give her a shot of something and stilled at feeling Sweet Pea at her back.

"I'll be busting something else later." He laughed at how hard she smacked him and raised an arm as she hit him again.

"Go be gross over there," she told him pointing in the direction of the pool table. Shaking her head at him as he left she turned back to the bar to see Toni stepping back behind it.

She and Fangs had waited seeing something between them but not in the way they spoke to each other. "Not sure if I'd call that getting along," she said no longer knowing what was happening with them.

But Lane was preoccupied with downing her shot and she, as she always did, wanted another. The girls fell into it as easily as before, Toni was more forthcoming in what all had happened since she'd been confined to the house: Tall Boy and Jughead were heavily opposed, a few days ago the Serpents had sided with Jughead and his decision to talk with Mayor McCoy and had sided against Tall Boy who wanted retaliation, and the bit Lane found less interested was FP was retiring from the Serpents. Lane would've fallen quiet as she thought of what all that meant but Toni had refused and instead kept her talking.

"Lane?"

Lane turned following the familiar light voice and found herself staring at Betty Cooper.


	12. Chapter 12

Betty stood in the seedy bar staring at a girl she knew didn't belong, and yet she sat at the bar with her curled hair close to messy wearing an oversized shirt she'd tucked into her jeans looking for all the world like there wasn't anywhere she should be. "Lane?"

Betty watched her turn and her once smiling face freeze with recognition. What Betty didn't notice was the rage behind her wide green eyes or the way it made her tremble as she slid off the stool. "Oh my god," Betty exclaimed quietly as she rushed forward with her arms open.

Once again Lane raised a hand between them catching Betty in the center of her chest leaving her feeling like she'd struck a wall. And she glanced briefly to the watchful boy standing behind her, who'd known better than to bring Betty here.

Stepping back Betty swallowed her hurt pride and remembered that Lane all but disappeared. "No one's heard from you in two months, have you been here-"

"The back office," Lane said sounding strangely out of breath. She looked from Betty to Jughead, who knew her well enough to know she was livid and had inched closer, and told them, "I need to speak with you both in the back office."

But Jughead shook his head reaching a hand to Betty's arm not liking the way she was looking at them. "We're not going anywhere,"

"GET IN THE OFFICE!" she cried in a raw and ragged voice.

They both jumped and Jughead pulled a very willing Betty toward the back hearing Lane's heavy footsteps charging behind them, and she slammed the door shut behind her like a crack of thunder. The two stood facing a severely scowling Lane and Jughead placed himself a step ahead of Betty as though to protect her. "Lane," he warned.

But her mind swarmed like a kicked hornets nest and she could barely see straight let alone hear him beneath the pounding of her heart in her ears. "If either of you tell anyone I'm here," she said in her normal calm manner, but they could hear the restraint in the way that her voice wavered. "Either your dopey best friend, or your gay one," she looked first to Jughead then Betty, "or even your friendly neighborhood ghost: I will be killed, and it will be your fault. And I'm gonna make damn sure if that happens everyone in this bar will know that it was you. Is that clear?"

She posed it as a question but they knew she wasn't asking, they were to agree. There was no second option. And Betty stared with very wide eyes feeling the scorching heat of Lane's unyielding glare and nodded. "Of course," she swore planning to ask Jughead later what was going on because it was now clear to her that Lane was hiding. And Betty had the wherewithal to recognize how furious Lane was at Betty just seeing her that she was hiding from someone close to home.

Not caring to hear Jughead's affirmative, because she wasn't finished with him yet, she looked to Betty. "I apologize for my tone, I am just very upset," she said and Betty was quick to nod. Clearing her throat and unclenching her fists Lane asked, "can you please tell Sweet Pea I need him?"

"Yes," was Betty's immediate agreement seeing Lane's unhappy stare had moved to Jughead, who she was realizing Lane was really angry with. "Um, which one is he?"

Taking a breath she looked to Betty with a strained smile. "The big one playing pool."

Betty nodded in a series of quick jerking head movements that looked more like a nervous tick as she hastily excused herself and stepped out of the very small, very dim, office they'd been trapped in. The volume in the bar still hovered near silence having not yet moved on from Lane's outburst, and Betty quickly scanned it before walking to the two boys standing at the pool table. She looked to the taller of the two who stared down at her with impossibly dark eyes and asked, "are you Sweet Pea?" He gave a curt nod. "She um," she raised an arm to point behind her, "she asked."

Sweet Pea didn't bother waiting for her to finish, he threw his stick on the table and marched for the office shutting the door behind him. A wide eyed and gaping mouthed Fangs moved to the bar where Toni stood absentmindedly drying a glass and said, "you give me my money back, they've been hooking up a lot longer than the last few days."

Her eyes narrowed. "Hooking up to mean sex?" she clarified and smiled when he answered yes. "Then I won." He gave her a disbelieving look but she shrugged, "I told you, our girl's a prude." She laughed while he rolled his eyes not mentioning she technically cheated since she'd been asking Lane about it for a while now, and that Lane was nothing if not honest. Beyond Fangs stood the very out of place Northsider with her prissy blonde ponytail and her prim and proper sweater. "Need something?" Toni asked her.

Betty nodding stepping forward, not sure where to start. It was strange to hear how familiar they seemed to be with Lane, the thought of Lane being with anyone let alone a Serpent, and the easy way Toni had claimed her as theirs. "Do I want to know what's going on with her?" she asked, thinking passive was the best approach and to leave it up to Toni whether or not to answer.

"You don't have the right to ask," Fangs said quick to shut this down, to come to Lane's defense.

"Go somewhere else," Toni told him and waited for him to sulk away before turning back to Betty. "But he is right, it's Serpent business."

Now Betty wondered if even Jughead would tell her, and a thought that'd been forming for a while now had her sitting on a stool across from Toni. "I actually wanted to talk to you about that."

…

Jughead stood gaping at where Lane stood with Sweet Pea behind her glowering still trying to piece together _that_ _name_ with the attacks on her. He'd been careless bringing Archie so close to her, to bring Betty to this bar without first making sure she wasn't here. He was already at two strikes and she seethed through clenched teeth, "if there's a third so help you god I will only need Sweet Pea to help me drag your corpse to your unmarked grave. We all in agreement?"

Behind her Sweet Pea gave a heavy yes, and Jughead looked between the two now knowing if anything happened to her Sweet Pea would come after him personally. So he answered with his own, softer, "yes."

Taking a breath she told him, "get out." Still trying to catch her breath and steady the shaking in her palms from how much she wanted to lash out she waited for him to leave before turning to Sweet Pea wondering what the hell she was supposed to do.

Sweet Pea didn't know how close Betty and Archie were to the man that was after her, and if he did Jughead wouldn't have been able to walk out the door. His anger was only an extension of hers, and it allowed him to stand staring down at her licking his grinning lips. "I am so turned on right now," he told her.

Her face twisted in brief confusion before she huffed a sigh. "This isn't funny."

"I'm not joking," he replied in a serious manner. "It was very hot the way you scared everyone in this bar with your tiny fists."

Her angry face crumbled as she smiled not wanting to laugh, but he calmed her in the way she normally did for him. "Sweet Pea," she said close to whining.

He stepped to her holding her face in his hands and tipped her head back so that he could meet her eyes. "I don't know," he told her honestly. "I don't know what we're gonna do. We still don't even know if what happened at the police station reached him. All I can tell you is that I'm not going anywhere."

She sighed and her tense shoulders fell, feeling a safety that only seemed to exist with him. They'd make it work, just like they had with everything else. "What about you? Were you scared of my tiny fists?" she asked teasing mildly, which was all she could muster at the moment.

"Hell yeah, you've hit me before." This time she couldn't stop herself from laughing, which was all he wanted, so he bent low to press a firm warm kiss to her mouth feeling her reluctance as he pulled back. "Bet you wish you'd come back to bed," he said with a snide smirk watching the way she rolled her eyes without saying anything. "What, you're just gonna take that? You're not gonna threaten to take away sex later?" He was trying to provoke a response out of her, he usually didn't have to try.

But she continued looking up at him blinking slowly as she brought a small hand to his cheek. "I'd never do that," she told him. And his smug face fell to one of wary confusion, because she only ever backed down from a challenge when she was planning something else. Her hand cracked against his cheek hard enough to sting and he stepped back more out of surprise than anything and looked down at her heavy eyes. "But I will put that mouth to good use later," she said stepping toward the door. And she stopped in the doorway looking at the way he stared after her with wide eyes and his mouth partially open, and she looked below his belt to his tightening pants before her burning stare returned to his. She left him with a cruel smile to catch his breath.

"I was wondering if we'd have to send a search party," Toni teased as Lane slid onto the stool she'd been occupying before.

Giving her a look Lane took the shot that was slid toward her and downed it in a quick gulp. Biting back the burn she asked Betty, who sat beside her, "so what are you doing here?"

This wasn't the serious academic Betty was used to, there was something dark about Lane, something both achingly empty and too hot to withstand. "You first," she offered instead.

Lane fixed her with a look and gave a short, "no."

"There's the Lane I remember," Betty said mostly to herself as she sat back, seeing over Lane's head the same boy standing once more at the pool table watching her. "I'm actually helping Jughead throw his dad a retirement party."

Lane looked at Betty several moments before her eyes narrowed and she turned to Toni, who smirked as she nodded answering an unspoken question. "Okay," Lane said slowly, wondering what game Betty was really playing at wanting to be a Serpent because it had to be more than just Jughead.

"Maybe you could help, you organize the best parties," Betty offered with a faint smile. "And you did kind of disappear on me before Retro night," she reminded her.

Behind the bar Toni scoffed, earning both girls' attentions – though in looking to Toni Lane notice Sweet Pea out of the corner of her eye and she turned seeing him shake his head. "I can tell you now, Lane doesn't do parties."

"She didn't say anything about me enjoying parties," she told Toni, who grinned, before turning back to Betty. "I do throw good parties," she stated as a fact, no sign of conceit in her bored tone. "But Sweet Pea said no."

Both Toni and Betty turned to the boy in question who scowled as he shook his head before marching to where she sat. "You know what, Vivian," he growled before dragging her chair away from the bar and leaving her at the end of the pool table. "Now shut your damn mouth."

She looked up at him with a brow cocked. "You wanna try that again?" she asked, the warning clear in her severe tone.

It did little to soften his face. "Shut your beautiful mouth."

"Better."

As she turned to a man who'd come up beside her she knew from the shop Sweet Pea turned back to his game with the smallest of smiles, that quickly straightened when he looked at Fangs who wore a wide grin.

…

It was dark and warm in Sweet Pea's trailer and they lay half under the covers with their clothes forgotten on the floor. It'd taken some time but he'd gotten used to her holding him, and he knew if they didn't stop this soon he'd get to the point he couldn't sleep without her. Already he woke most mornings reaching for her, and he never woke faster than when he couldn't find her. He'd be ruined by the end of this.

"You should go," he told her softly feeling her head turn from where she'd had it turned into his back.

"What?"

He rolled on his back bringing an arm around her shoulders pulling her back up to where the pillows were so he could look at her. "To FP's retirement."

"No I got that," she told him. "Why?" she asked not knowing where that had come from. She thought he'd fallen asleep.

He shrugged. "Cause it'll be fun."

"Again, why?" They'd decided earlier he'd drop her off at Tall Boy's house before he went, she didn't know what changed.

He wasn't sure either, so he shrugged again. "Because you can't hide forever. And if this does end in us dead then I wanna be drunk, and happy."

"And in love," she added feeling his sharp inhale beneath the hand she'd rested over his chest.

"That too," he agreed on a soft breath.

She couldn't see much more than the outline of his features in the half open blinds behind them, but it was enough to kiss the tip of his nose before she laid on her back looking at the ceiling. "Fine. But it's your idea, you come up with the plan."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," she started, feeling the tips of his fingers running along her hand, "if Betty invites her actual best friend then we'd have a problem. So what are you gonna do about that?"

He thought a moment before answering, "hide behind me." He couldn't see the way her brows drew together or the way her lips quirked, otherwise he'd have continued.

"What kind of fun is that?" she asked, because his whole point in asking her to come was so she wasn't hiding. And her face split with a smile at his silence, and she sat up reaching for the light wanting to see his face because she could not believe him.

He stared up at her only slightly confused, but this time he could see the way her eyes shined and he shook his head. "I swear to god, Vivian, if you push me."

"Why's it fun?" she asked with a straight face not heeding his warning.

"Shut up."

"Tell me why it's fun?" she asked again in the same bland tone.

He rolled his eyes squirming beneath her as she laid over his chest. "You want me to get you?"

"Go ahead, you know I'm not gonna stop. Just tell me."

"No."

"Come on," she egged him.

"Lane."

"Sweet Pea."

"Because we'd be together," he finally grumbled, looking like the thought of it pained him.

But she paused as she looked at him, as he refused to look at her, and a small smile curled on her mouth. "Yeah that would be fun," she said meeting his unhappy eye when he finally turned to her. She brushed the hair off his forehead looking at him more fondly than either of them thought she ever had. "You're just a big softie," she said knowing he only was for her.

The things she did to him, she was lucky he liked her so much. "Now how am I gonna make you pay for that?" he mused thinking several things that included her naked as she was now and for the most part it'd end in him doing her. And then a thought he'd stowed in the back of his mind resurfaced and he smiled.

It wasn't a nice smile, it was conniving and dirty, and she rolled her eyes. "What are you gonna ask me to do to you?"

"No, I'm gonna do you," he said rolling them so that she was on her back and he was on top of her, seeing her brows draw together confused, "and I'll show you tomorrow."

She glared at the ceiling as he trailed wet kisses along her neck going over too many possibilities of what he was talking about. "You know I'm gonna be thinking about this the whole time," she said, meaning she wasn't going to enjoy it.

But he smiled against her throat and said, "oh trust me, I'm gonna be thinking about it too." His bottom teeth scraped her jaw and he looked down at her seeing she was deep in thought. "Is she smart enough to get it?" he teased watching her brow smooth. "And she is."

"Son of a bitch," she muttered arriving at the only thing that made sense, the Halloween costume Cheryl convinced her to wear. "Did you find that the first time you went to my house, or the second time when we did?" she demanded but he settled over her, his smile turning to a sly grin. It was the second time, when he'd liked her enough to find her attractive. "I'll wear the shirt, I'm not wearing the pants."

"Oh your ass is getting in those pants," he told her firmly.

She took a breath knowing he was gonna get what he wanted, it was up to her when. "You know what, if you ever decide to take me on an actual date I'll wear the whole get up: hair, heels, I'll borrow Toni's leather jacket. But tomorrow I'm only wearing the shirt."

"I'll agree to that," he said admitting with the same obliviousness she had that he'd thought of an actual date. Of defining this undefined thing between them. But before either of them could think about it he kissed her.

.^.

"Sure you won't wear the pants?" Sweet Pea asked standing behind her in the bathroom she and Tall Boy shared with his hands around her jean-clad waist, looking at her in the mirror.

She rolled her eyes pulling up one of the black shirt's straps that hung several inches below her shoulders, but he was quick to push it back down before nipping at her shoulder playfully. "We agreed last night," she told him reaching for her small make up bag. But he quickly snatched it away tossing it in the corner before pulling her closer against him and resting his chin on the top of her head. She looked from herself to him, wearing a denim jacket over a plaid button down with his dark hair. "Oh my god," she exclaimed quietly meeting his questioning stare. "You're the Danny Zuko to my Sandra Dee."

"Jesus Christ," he grumbled leaving the bathroom. "You better be glad Fangs isn't here to start singing that crap." He stopped when he felt her against his back as she wound her arms around his middle.

"Summer lovin, had me a blast."

"Oh for god's sake."

"Summer lovin, happened so fast," she continued in her poor attempt at singing.

He stood glaring at the wall in front of him feeling her slide under his arm so that she stood against his chest with her arms around his back looking up at him with a blank face. Sometimes he really hated her. "Met a girl crazy for me," he said more than sang.

Her eyes lit up but her mouth just barely grinned. "Met a boy cute as could be." Before she could sing anymore he occupied her mouth with his. "You know we're gonna sing the other song when I wear the whole thing, right?"

"Well I'll have the added bonus of seeing your ass in those leather pants," he said smacking her behind before pulling her to the door.

"Have her back tonight."

Sweet Pea stopped in the doorway and turned to where Tall Boy stood in the kitchen behind them. "I'll drop her off tomorrow morning," he told the other man before stalking out of the house.

Lane sighed finding herself stuck between them and turned to Tall Boy, who was waiting expectantly. "Tell you what: FP retires I come home tonight, he stays I come home tomorrow. Now it's a fun game," she said though her tone was bland if not irritated as she followed Sweet Pea outside.

If Tall Boy had known that first night that this was where it'd end up he'd have taken her away before either of them got attached, left Riverdale completely. But it was too late for that now.

…

Sweet Pea sucked in a breath feeling her hands slide into his back pockets as she stood against the wall behind him. "If you don't cut that out," he warned, and he bucked forward at the way her hands squeezed. He could hear her laughing quietly and he stepped back pressing her against the wall, feeling her hands slip out of his pockets and settle around his hips.

"A drink for the lady."

They both turned to see Fangs holding two glasses half filled with whiskey. She happily took one and knocked it back, taking a moment to get over the way it settled in her chest before looking back to him. "If I said I loved you would you bring me another?" she asked, and his answer was to extend the second glass to her. "You know me so well."

He waited as she downed that one too and took both glasses setting them on the closest table. "It's a shame you have to hide, you look hot tonight," he told her, watching the way both she and Sweet Pea turned to him with mirrored unhappy expressions. "He said platonically," he added and Lane at least turned away satisfied.

"I told you she'd invite her," Lane said catching sight of Veronica wandering through the bar before she caught sight of her red-headed boy wonder.

"That's why you're back there," he said wondering for a short moment if convincing her to come with him was a mistake. Several people had worked their over hearing she was there, some their age that knew her vaguely from their short stint in a cell and had been impressed by her but mostly it was older guys she'd worked with everyday at the shop. Eventually the two they didn't want to notice her were gonna start noticing.

"And here I thought I was just enjoying the view."

He looked down at her over his shoulder to see her blinking innocently up at him. "Are you now?" he asked feeling her hum vibrate against his arm more than he heard it.

They both turned at the sound of a piano and saw Archie and Veronica climbing on the stage to sing a morbidly slow song. Whether or not Lane liked the song she leaned her cheek against his arm and said, "kind of a buzz kill." She heard his gruff agreement before he leaned back against her again, and without really thinking her arm came around the front of him so that her hand was on his chest. "What are you doing?" she asked chuckling lightly.

Before he could respond their attention turned to the two singing, or rather one still behind the mic and the other fleeing in the middle of the song. Archie was quick to run after her and Lane moved so that she was on the other side of Sweet Pea more exposed to the now empty stage. Someone booed and it quickly spread through the bar, and she rolled her eyes as Sweet Pea joined in.  
But she blinked and her gaze set on Betty as she moved to the stage and continued the song, and her brows rose as Betty began slowly pulling her clothes off revealing the lingerie she wore underneath as she began dancing. "So this is the Serpent Dance all the women keep telling me about," Lane said watching her slow, slightly awkward movements. "I'm strangely aroused," she said sounding anything but.

He laughed once, knowing Betty was only doing this for her boyfriend, but his thoughts quickly turned to Lane at that last bit. "Would you ever do that for me?"

She turned to him with her face screwed up. "In a room full of people? Absolutely not."

As she turned back to Betty he continued looking at her trying and failing to imagine her up there. He knew she never would, but his thoughts still turned. "Just you and me then?"

"Then I'd only be wearing the heels." Her eyes flicked to his and she smirked at the fire she'd lit.

He had enough time to want that before the song ended and FP sent them into a round of applause as Betty climbed down from the stage still half dressed. And they both turned to address him as he gave his farewell speech. It wasn't long into it, talking about how everyone but the Serpents had turned their backs on him, that Lane knew her first thought had been right: he wasn't retiring.

"I am not going gently into the night. I am here to stay! So bring the fire!" he exclaimed to a chorus of applause and whoops.

Lane looked around Sweet Pea, who'd left her in his excitement to congratulate FP, at everyone's rapt attention, their loyalty, their love as they crowded around FP raising their glasses to him. And she thought back to what he'd said a few minutes ago, about them being the only family he had. But she sighed and leaned against the wall watching him looking at Jughead with Tall Boy and Sweet Pea and the others surrounding them.

Finding a break in the crowd around him FP pointed to the girl against the wall fixing her with a serious stare. "Don't think I didn't see you hiding." Her sigh was heavy enough he saw it as she made her way to him. It'd been so long he almost hadn't recognized her, and the only reason he had was because she was the spitting image of her mother; a woman who'd been too beautiful for anyone's good. "We'll talk tomorrow about what to do with you, but for now," he spread his arms and she stepped into his embrace throwing hers around his shoulders, feeling him lift her feet off the ground like he did when she was younger.

They stepped back from each other seeing what the years had done to them, and they both seemed to exhale before they came together again. This time her head rested over his chest and he had one arm around her back and the other cupping the back of her head. "Missed you, sweetheart," he said softly against her hair.

"I missed you too," she told him in return.

Jughead and Tall Boy stood back recognizing FP's particular fondness for Larry Vivian's daughter, but most everyone else Sweet Pea included looked on in quiet confusion.

"Alright," FP said when he felt her begin to squirm, as she always did, "if I don't let you go now I don't think I ever will." With a smile he knocked her chin before he moved once more through the crowd around.

Turning from him she found herself looking up at Tall Boy and she was struck with the sudden realization that FP hadn't brought anyone to her father's funeral. She blinked up at him refusing the thoughts that tried to spin, wanting just a little more time to enjoy this before god or fate made her pay for it. "Guess I'm coming back tomorrow morning," she said trying for something close to a joke.

He nodded knowing she'd stay with Sweet Pea the night regardless. "I was gonna tell you earlier before he showed up," he nodded to the boy that stood behind her, "we're gonna be understaffed tomorrow."

"Oh my god," she said wide eyed and breathless. "Don't you dare."

A smile played on his mouth as he nodded again. "We could use the extra hands."

She blinked stunned for several moments, almost feeling like she wanted to cry. "Spyder said he was still working on the Firebird."

"I bet he did, you fell in love with that car," he said remembering the way she'd gushed about how beautiful it was. There was still no word from his boys of anyone skulking around the Southside that shouldn't be, so far the coast seemed to be clear and he could see even with Sweet Pea she was starting to drag with the days again. "He's looking forward to working with you again."

Unable to say anything else she nodded and he laughed patting her shoulder as he left her. She turned to Sweet Pea with her eyes still wide. "Oh my god," she said again. "I finally get to do something other than you."

He didn't know whether to scoff, roll his eyes, or laugh: so he did a combination of all three. "Should I be offended?" he asked only half joking.

"No," she told him serious, "but you should be jealous. I would leave you for that car."

"You'd also leave me for chocolate cake."

She looked up like she was considering it. "That would depend on the, no it wouldn't," she said changing her mind, "I'd leave you for crappy cake."

His brows rose though not surprised, he'd gone to the 24 hour store after midnight multiple times in the last week because she wanted something. Her sweet tooth was almost worse than his own. "You sure you want to have said that?" he asked her, a mix between a threat and a warning.

"What are you gonna do about it?"

He looked down at her seeing just the slightest pull at the right corner of her mouth, coupled with her daring eyes it had his breaths growing short. "We're leaving."

Her brows drew together. "You can have me the rest of the night, hang out with your friends," she told him, as she'd been trying to tell him because he spent most of his free time with her already.

But he stepped closer with his hands on her hips pushing her backwards towards the door. "You look more beautiful than you have any right and you've been a tease all night. So walk your tight ass outside."

A slow smile spread on her face before she turned on her heel feeling him close at her back as they stepped into the cold night air.

.^.

Lane stood at a back counter running a diagnostic test on a car. She hadn't been here in weeks, hadn't been reading car manuals in her spare time because she hadn't had the need to learn it since she wasn't coming. But there was something about being back here with the same men doing the same things in this noise filled area that just felt so normal, routine. God she'd missed having a routine.

Tall Boy looked for her every now and then checking to see she was still getting along, that she didn't need help. She fell back into it easily and the men were either happy to have her or indifferent to her being there. He was thinking about letting her come back tomorrow, or at least giving her a couple days a week to get out of the house because he'd honestly thought she might cry when he told her she could come.

But one time, the last time, he turned to find her he froze at the sight of a small red dot slowly moving to the middle of her back. Drawing aim. "Lane!"

* * *

 _I know I left you guys on a terrible cliffhanger. The only consolation I have is that you'll find out next chapter who's been after her (if you haven't sleuthed out my little clues and have already guessed)_


	13. Chapter 13

A lone man wearing a dark jacket and pants stood overlooking Riverdale General hearing the loud whoop of the ambulance as it tore around the corner, and he watched it pull up to the Emergency Entrance. "They're taking her out now," he said into the burner phone he held to his ear.

"What's her condition?"

He watched the man who'd been with her climb out of the ambulance, his long hair covering the Serpent on the back of his jacket. But his eyes followed the EMTs wheeling the gurney where she lay covered by a white blood stained sheet. "Looks to be dead on arrival."

There was a pause on the other end of the line as those words were considered, and a ruthless smile formed. "Confirm that and let me know."

"Yes sir," he agreed hearing the kind of dead silence on the other end that meant he'd hung up. And he looked to where the Serpent she'd been staying with walked around the side of the building instead of following them inside.

…

"You went back on our deal," Tall Boy growled in a thick voice as soon as the other man answered the phone with an almost jovial hello. "I paid for her life, you were supposed to leave her alone."

A deep steadying breath was taken before he responded: "I paid you to kill her six years ago, consider this me finding someone capable of finishing the job." He was satisfied now in hearing Tall Boy's desperate anger; the girl was dead. "I still expect what we discussed. And make no mistake, fail me a second time and you won't live to do it a third."

Tall Boy stood breathing heavily still holding the phone to his ear hearing a soft click knowing he'd hung up. He should've taken her when he'd had the chance, started a new life where they didn't have to live under the shadow of what he'd done.

…

The EMTs wheeled the gurney past the intake rooms and turned down a long windowless hall. Halfway down stood a tall dark boy fidgeting anxiously as he waited for them to bring her to him.

Sweet Pea caught sight of them and stood up straighter trying to deepen his short panicked breaths. But he caught sight of the blood soaked sheet and the world seemed to drop out from underneath him. "Is she alright?" he asked moving toward her. "Is she alright?" he cried when no one answered him fast enough.

"Yes," FP answered donning an EMT's uniform as he pulled the sheet down to see Lane's surprisingly calm face. "Hell of a plan kid," he told her before turning to the man behind him who'd now repaid the favor he owed. "Thank you for this. Pronounce her dead, we'll take care of the rest." FP shook his hand and watched him turn before he looked to the two kids to see Sweet Pea's head bowed resting over hers as she looked up at him.

"I'm fine," she told him gently feeling his hands tight around her waist as he caught his breath. "Did you get the emergency bag?" she asked and sighed when he nodded. She took a breath feeling the relief she could see in his searching eyes, and she wilted against him as she exhaled hiding her still pale face in his chest as his arms came around her back to hold her. "We can do this later," she said forcing herself to step back, knowing if he didn't stop holding her she'd eventually fall apart in his arms.

FP had waited quietly letting them take a moment to breathe, but he was glad she was determined because they needed to leave sooner rather than later. "You said you've got money?" he asked knowing she couldn't use any of her cards.

"It's in the bag he got," she said having put an emergency get away bag together after the first week. "There's a motel outside of town, Tall Boy and I scoped it out a while ago. I've got enough to cover two nights."

He nodded liking the sound of that, but he also became consciously aware that Tall Boy had disappeared. "Alright, you two go there and sit tight. And wait for my call, _my_ call," he said again looking to Lane who gave a small nod. He then turned to Sweet Pea who stood with an arm still around her as though needing that assurance she was okay. "You park out back like I told you?" When Sweet Pea nodded he said, "okay, get out of here."

The two walked side by side around to the other side of the hospital and he led her to a side entrance where Fangs and Toni were waiting. "What the hell is going on?" Toni asked rushing to them and hugging Lane fiercely.

"Later," Lane told her cupping her cheek briefly before she pushed past her for the car and grabbed the envelope of cash from the bag Sweet Pea got from Tall Boy's house.

"I'll go left," Sweet Pea said taking the envelope and tucking inside his jacket. He didn't want them to separate but she'd lied when she told FP Tall Boy was the one to find this place with her. This was the plan she and Sweet Pea had made together, and she was adamant about them each taking a different route to get there. Left would get him there ten minutes before her.

They shared a heavy look before she climbed in the car and he mounted the bike Fangs had driven for him. She drove in silence thinking of too many things she didn't know the answer to: who told him where to find her, how long before he found her again, was she really okay with Sweet Pea dying for her, why did Tall Boy not come into the hospital with her, why did she remember him being at her dad's funeral, and why when she did remember him was it always in a dim place that looked too much like her home.

The buzzing of her phone was a welcomed distraction and she was quick to answer it. "Park around back," Sweet Pea told her leaving his bike on the opposite side as he walked around to where their room was.

Within five minutes she pulled into a spot and before she'd even cut the ignition he'd come out of the room to meet her, and he reached in the back to grab the large duffel bag. She walked into the room hearing him shut and lock the door behind her before dropping the bag on the floor. Now that they were alone and could settle she turned stepping into his chest feeling his arms tight around her shoulders, and she let her eyes close and the panic of the morning slowly drift away.

Feeling her breathing slowly against him he could convince himself she was alright, that his brief scared thought she'd died was just that: a thought. "What happened?" he asked, FP having not wasted time telling him to do anything but get the bag and get to the hospital.

"I'm not entirely sure," she answered turning her head so that her cheek was against his chest. "Spyder tackled me and the window broke, everything else was just about making it look like I died. I don't know how he found me."

With his mouth pressed against the top of her head he mumbled, "there have been two instances it could've gotten back to him."

"Yeah but which one?" she asked more so thinking out loud than looking for an answer. And she tilted her head back with her chin on his chest to look up at him. "Maybe there was a third we don't know about."

"What aren't you telling me?" he asked knowing there was something on her mind and it was eating away at her.

But she lowered her head so that her face was turned into him. "I don't know enough yet to say anything." Which was only partially true because if she let herself think about it she'd piece it all together, and she knew she would but she didn't want it. "I don't wanna do this now."

It was a quiet request, but he was ready to give her anything she wanted so long as she was there to want something. "Okay," he told her hugging her tighter.

Eventually they moved to the bed and sat against the headboard watching TV. She was leaning against him with her back to his chest and his arm around her middle, his hand slowly and unconsciously sliding up her stomach to rest just below her chest. It was comfortable and warm, and if not for the state of her mind she might've felt safe. But this was what she'd been waiting for, the forcing of her hand. It seemed like a long time coming, so she spent the rest of the afternoon forming a plan.

…

She laid on her side against his warm back holding him as he slept. It was her favorite position, and she thought it might've been his too. "Don't hate me," she whispered before slowly and carefully sliding her hand out of his and rolled away from him. Picking her clothes up off the floor she redressed and quietly, so very quietly, opened the heavy door and closed it behind her.

Taking a moment to breathe in the chilled night air she unlocked the car and climbed behind the wheel. She'd just turned reaching for the seatbelt when the passenger side door opened and shut with a violent clap. And she sighed turning to see Sweet Pea's dark eyes.

He'd figured out her plan weeks ago and hoped in the same naïve way she had that it would never come to this. But the thought of her doing this alone, of her thinking that she had to. "I told you, we end this together," he said, his tone not offering to be refused.

So she took a breath and let it go, reaching a hand to his leg briefly before she pulled out of the parking lot and drove back to her side of town; which every day felt less and less like hers.

.^.

There was the soft turning of the bedroom door handle, the click of the hall light being turned on, the soft patter of small feet on the carpet, but none of this is what woke him. It was the light shining in his eyes from the open door, a truth he tried to bury that refused to die. First looking to his sleeping wife who lay with her back to him, he then quietly climbed out of bed and reached past the door for the switch.

Down the dark hall was the door to his office, and a light behind it glowed. His thoughts turned to his snooping daughter and he crept forward and gently turned the handle. In the chair opposite his desk with her back to him was a young woman he'd thought never to see again.

And hearing him behind her Lane turned to look up at Hiram Lodge, the face and name of every boogeyman she'd ever been afraid of. "We should talk," she told him simply.

"As you are sitting in my office, in the middle of the night, uninvited, I would say so." He came around the desk and sat in the black leather chair addressing her. She blinked calmly at him wearing the face of a statue, had he been a different man he would have found her unsettling. "It must've taken a lot of courage for you to come here," he said, as close as he'd come to admitting to putting a hit on her.

"You're either going to kill me or you're not," she told him, "depending on the day I won't have a preference."

There was no change in her expression, she didn't shrug, didn't seem to move at all. If not for the small rise and fall of her chest and the steady blinking he could imagine she was dead. "Since you're here I can only assume you want something," he said with a sigh as though to sound exasperated at her childish displays.

She didn't buy it, he was watching her closely waiting for her to slip up so he could pounce. He was unnerved if nothing else, and by now he knew what she was capable of. "I want my life back," she told him in the same monotonous tone. "Until recently I remembered you as the man who pulled the trigger, I don't currently remember what I saw to have made me such a threat to you. Regardless, I haven't told anyone of your involvement nor do I plan to. I'll graduate and go to a college as far away from this town as I can get. You'd never see me again." She said all of this plainly without rise to her voice or feeling in her face.

Folding his hands over his chest he considered her words and their implication. If what she'd said was true he'd made himself a threat by deciding to finally tie her loose end, by thinking enough time had passed from her father's unnecessary death to raise too much suspicion that it'd been organized. But it'd leave Hiram to go on the word on a potentially unstable teenager. "And you want nothing else from me?" he asked knowing there had to be more. There always was in this business.

"The only thing you have to offer is money and I don't need it." He couldn't give her back what was taken from her, and she'd take nothing else from this man. "Call your man off and let me live my life. That's all I want."

He made a show of considering it when he'd already decided. There had been many times over the years for her to have said something and she hadn't, and he had a feeling this time – as he saw how intelligent she'd become – she had some form of security should anything happen to her. "That seems fair," he finally said still seeing no change in her blank face. He was almost impressed. "Although I should inform you that someone has already paid for your life, it's no longer mine to take."

There was a slight turning of her head and a faint line between her brows, the first crack in her stony façade and it made him smile. Thinking in some way he'd won. But she blinked and straightened taking a deep audible breath. "And yet you went back on that yesterday."

His smile grew having hoped she would get it, that no matter his word she'd never be safe. For the trouble she caused he'd be satisfied knowing she'd spend the rest of her days looking over her shoulder. "I had a previous arrangement that needed settling," he explained, harking back to that first night when the wrong person had been killed. "Per your hospital records you were pronounced dead on the scene." Leaning forward like a predator watching its prey he further said, "perhaps it's the Christmas spirit but I suppose I'm feeling generous enough to consider this finished."

It was Lane's turn this time to pause as she considered that, as she considered him. "Previous arrangement," she mused before nodding reaching her own decision. She set the photograph she found in his desk in front of him; of a dead man wrapped in Christmas lights with the note she'd mailed with it – _the next one will be your daughter_. She looked him in the eye and told him, "I have one too." Watching that threat shatter his premature victory she stood looking down at him. "It's your move."  
She walked to the door and wrenched it open before turning back to him. "And for the record," she said watching him brace himself, seeing he was infuriated, "I'm Jewish."

As she closed the door behind her he smiled so very faintly. At first seeing her sitting in his office having broken in he'd expected idle threats similar to the ones his daughter made, a little girl trying to play a big man's game. But this girl, this Lane Vivian, she knew how to play.

…

Sweet Pea stood in the empty well lit lobby behind the front desk looking down at where the guard he and Lane had knocked out lay sprawled on the ground. He kicked his foot watching him twitch knowing he'd wake up soon. The ding of the elevator arriving on the floor had Sweet Pea looking up and he sighed when he saw Lane. Leaving the guard where he lay Sweet Pea skirted around the desk and he walked with her back outside. "Have I mentioned how much you turn me on?"

After knocking the guard out she'd called him and put him on speaker before sliding her phone in her back pocket and going upstairs, he'd have listened to the whole thing. And for the first time in what felt like the entire day she smiled as they climbed back into the car.

"So what now?" he asked as he drove them back to the motel.

Turning her head from the opened window she looked at him in the dark. "That depends on how serious you are about doing this with me."

He glanced between her and the road before responding. "How many times do I have to tell you I'm not leaving before you believe me?"

Feeling warm in an uncomfortable way she ran a hand through his hair before he grabbed it and brought it to his mouth for a quick kiss, then he settled with one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding hers. "Thought you didn't hold hands," she quietly teased.

"Answer the question, Vivian," he said setting her hand on his leg and grabbing the wheel.

She laid her head on his shoulder enjoying the biting cold sneaking under her clothes to chill her hot skin. "Now I stop hiding, and we see what he does."

He didn't like it but he nodded because she would've thought it through and he trusted her judgment. This was the best option. The rest of the drive was quiet as the wind whistled through the window, her head on his shoulder and her hand on leg. He could've driven like that forever. But he pulled around the back of the motel and cut the engine knowing from the way she didn't move she was thinking. "Is this the part where we define this?" he asked not wanting to say what she was gonna need him to.

He knew her well, she'd realized halfway through the drive she'd be able to go home now. And she was left with the same thought that she had something she wanted, and she wasn't ready to give it back. "Can we pretend we already did?" she asked not wanting to say it anymore than he did.

"Yes," he was quick to answer. They turned to look at each other and as soon as their eyes met they laughed; at how similar they were in their being difficult, at how long they'd been thinking the same thing. When they'd settled, after the car light had turned off, Sweet Pea still looked at her. "What do you know, you got your first boyfriend without even realizing it."

Her smile was small, nothing more than the quirking of her lips. "And your first real girlfriend. Not including the frequent one night stands," she added watching him shake his head turning away, "that suspiciously stopped very soon after I showed up."

Yeah, he'd been thinking about her a lot longer than he'd admitted to himself. "Which one told you that?" he asked knowing it was either Toni or Fangs.

"Both," she answered, and even in the dark she could almost see the way his eyes rolled. "Although quite a few different people have told me that last one."

"Who?"

He was too easy to rile up, and she it enjoyed it too much. "A lot of your former conquests. I'm surprised you're settling for someone so inexperienced."

He didn't like that, that he was only person she'd been with and he'd given it away so freely, that he'd given any part of him to someone that wasn't her, and he definitely didn't like the worry that she'd see him differently or that she might ever think he'd want anyone else. "What'd they say?" he asked, wanting to know what he needed to make up for.

A slow smile spread on her mouth, he could honestly be the sweetest thing. She raised a hand to his cheek turning him to face her, and she ran her thumb over his lips. "You've never done that for another girl, have you?"

He shook his head admitting he'd only done that with her, but it felt too vulnerable and he couldn't keep himself from saying, "I've never had someone take so long to finish."

Her smile was wide enough he saw the shine of her teeth. "You poor thing," she cooed sarcastically. "I'll make it up to you."

"And how are you gonna do that?" he asked without thinking, or remembering just how good she was at taking his breath away.

He'd have remembered that if he saw the way her eyes burned. "You're not the only one with a mouth."

His face fell to one of slacked surprise and his mind sputtered too caught up in that thought and the fact that she was offering. "You get your ass in that room," he told her throwing his seatbelt off hearing her quiet laughter behind him. He met her around the side of the car and he looked down at the part of her face he could see illuminated in the dim light hung on the hotel wall. "You don't have to if you don't want to," he made sure to say. As he always made sure to say.

But she was still smiling. "Just shut up and kiss me," she told him. So he did.

.^.

There was an almost hesitant knock on the door of Sweet Pea's trailer silencing what he and Fangs were talking about as they folded clothes while Lane stepped out of the shower.

"What do you want?" Sweet Pea asked when he opened the door to see Jughead standing with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Is Lane here?" Jughead asked even though he already knew the answer was yes. Everything he knew was from Toni; that someone almost shot her, that she'd confronted Hiram Lodge, and that instead of going home she was staying with Sweet Pea. There was no answer as to why she hadn't gone back to Tall Boy's house. The only thing he'd gotten from his dad was him coming back muttering curses in Lane's name and how she could've gotten herself killed.

Lane appeared behind Sweet Pea with her hair pulled back in a messy bun wearing yellow cleaning gloves. She looked from Jughead to Sweet Pea, who'd shifted his stance so that he was partially in front of her. "We can go for a walk," she said pulling off the gloves and grabbing the sweater that was thrown over Sweet Pea's jacket, which had been thrown over the back of a chair.

The two walked in a thick silence that pushed them apart. They hadn't spoken since he brought Betty to the Wyrm, now that he'd learned how close Hiram had gotten to her he realized how grave a mistake that'd been. "Am I the reason?" he finally asked.

And she turned to him without the slightest accusation. "No, I really don't think so." She watched him nod as he scuffed his shoe against the asphalt clearly deep in thought. "We don't have to that thing," she told him seriously.

"What?" he asked looking up at her.

"The one where you say sorry and I say sorry. We can skip that."

With a small grin he knocked his arm against hers. "I knew I liked you for a reason," he said always surprised by how easy she was to get along with when she'd finally decided to let herself be.

The silence wasn't so heavy between them. "This isn't why you came. What's been going on, Sweet Pea won't tell me?" She listened quietly as he explained briefly about Penny, the so-called Snake Charmer, and the favors she'd asked for of him and now of his dad. She didn't ask any questions but she knew he was leaving things out, such as the severity of the 'favors'. He kept saying they needed to get rid of Penny, and although he hadn't said it yet she knew he'd come to her for help. "Jug," she sighed brushing back the flyaways that'd gotten stuck to her sweaty forehead, "I'm not a Serpent. This isn't my world, I don't know how to fix this."

She was right, she wasn't a Serpent but he heard the way people talked in the Wyrm, at school. Since his father wasn't doing anything but submitting it was up to Jughead to take care of this, and he knew how valuable an asset Lane was. "Sweet Pea will get roped into this, it's not a matter of if."

"Then that's his decision," she said not appreciating his exploiting their relationship.

"Do you really mean that?" he asked seeing the deep breath she took as she turned away. "Are you willing to sit idly by letting him get his hands dirty to the point he'll never get them clean?"

They both knew that answer and if Sweet Pea was there, after he'd finished telling Jughead off for sticking his nose where it didn't belong, he'd know it too. But it didn't change much. "Look, I don't know enough about this to form a plan," she said seeing him scoff because she always had a plan, "but I do know you're not telling me everything." She was satisfied in wiping that derisive smile off his face but she was left with the same problem as when she'd started. "There's too many unknown variables for me to think through enough possibilities to figure out what the best plan is. I don't know this lady. I don't know how she's gonna respond: whether it's better to drive her out or put her in the ground."

He found himself nodding seeing her point and knowing she was right. Whether or not he should be divulging Serpent business, he was asking her to come into and offer a solution. Again. So he sighed reaching a decision and stopped walking, forcing her to stop with him. "Okay, I'll tell you everything," he said giving in. "And if you still want to walk away I won't try to stop you. But I know, like everybody else, that you've had our back just as much as we've had yours."

Jughead watched her closed off face waiting her out, and as he'd known she sighed heavily as her resolve broke. "Alright," she agreed. Willing to fight for the Serpents again.


	14. Chapter 14 - Holiday chapter

_Sorry this is so long, I got carried away. This is mostly fluff, with very little plot- because I suck._

 _I'm also going to apologize to any Jewish readers, because I am not Jewish and only had my own research to go on. I tried to be respectful. And please tell me if anything is wrong, I will come back and fix it._

* * *

.*.day one.*.

Lane sat in the Whyte Wyrm with Toni and Fangs, who Sweet Pea had asked to pick up Lane after work. "Are you coming to the Christmas party next week?" Toni asked her.

"I don't know, maybe," she answered offhandedly.

Beside her Fangs piped in. "Come on, Lane, even Sweet Pea likes Christmas," he said as if by proxy that meant Lane should like it too.

But she could only shrug not having a better answer for them. "I don't celebrate Christmas." She leaned back as Fangs sputtered.

"What?" he cried looking to an equally incredulous Toni. "Who doesn't celebrate Christmas?"

Lane had just opened her mouth to respond when a pair of hands wrapped around her waist and she turned to see Sweet Pea behind her. "Come on," he told her pulling her off the stool.

"I just got here," Lane said looking up at him with furrowed brows. "So did you."

"And now we're leaving," he said pulling on her hand to get her moving toward the door, but he felt a little tug from her refusal to move. He could just as easily drag her, and because the drive had taken longer than he'd thought he was now in a hurry. "You'll find out what's happening sooner if you come on."

Taking a breath she turned to the two that shared a grin behind them. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow," she told them before turning back to Sweet Pea who still had a hold of her hand as he spurred her faster. He'd been in such a rush he left the car running.

He opened the door and all but shoved her inside before he hurried around to the driver's side and peeled out of the parking lot. Glancing at the clock on the dash he figured they'd have maybe five minutes to spare by the time they got there.

"What is that?" Lane said smelling chicken and something else familiar that she couldn't place.

"Don't worry about it," he was quick to tell her as he fiddled with the radio, stopping on a station playing Christmas music because he knew if nothing else it would distract her.

She didn't know what he was up to only that he didn't want her to guess anything, and so she looked out the window at the various array of Christmas decorations they passed on their way to the Northside.

He parked in her driveway snatching the bag of food from the back before she could grab it and told her to go in. With a sigh she climbed out reaching for her keys, not bothering to mention the electricity was getting fixed tomorrow. Opening the door she placed her keys on the hook and looked around the heavily shadowed house as the sun almost completely set. There was nothing more than a dim orange glow peeking through the front window.

Her gaze fell to the window table and she froze at the sight of her dad's old Menorah set in the center of it. She stood a few moments barely remembering to breathe as her stunned mind tried to understand, and she crept forward reaching a timid hand to the two candles that were set out. Feeling him beside her she looked up with the softest eyes he'd ever seen. "You made Hanukkah for me," she said in a small voice.

Clearing his throat he nodded, fingering the box he had in his pocket. "Yeah, it was my understanding boyfriends did sappy shit like this."

She looked at him, and he meant more to her than any one person ever had. A rush of affection overwhelmed her and she stepped onto his boots rising to the tips of her toes pulling his face down to kiss him. His hands came around her back pulling her closer, and by the time they finally pulled apart the sun had fully set.

"Okay," she breathed stepping off of his boots and setting the two candles in their designated places.

He stood at her back with his hands on her hips and his chin resting over her head watching her strike a match and light the candle she'd set in the middle; the shamash. And then her soft lilting voice filled the cold dark house with beautiful foreign words as she lit the first night's candle, he heard both love and melancholy in it. When she'd finished, entirely too soon he thought, and it was quiet once more he asked, "what was that?"

"A prayer," she answered leaning against him. "I haven't done the candle lighting since my dad died, but I always sing it. I used to know what it meant."

"You're sad," he said almost able to feel it, and he wished there was something he could do to make that better.

But she reached a hand to his arm and rested against him. "I'm happy too," she assured him.

"Yeah?"

She turned looking up at him and nodded. Her thoughts had been simple, how sweet he was, how much she'd missed actually celebrating Hanukkah. And then they turned to warmer less simple things, and she pulled him down to kiss her. He almost pulled away wanting to wait, but her hands snuck under his jacket forcing it down over his shoulders and that thought hit the floor with the leather and never came back.

After they'd finished he laid over her a minute longer watching the way the flames above them flicked in her gentle eyes, feeling her hands running along his back as she lay with her legs still around him. "This is pretty good mood lighting," he said seeing her smile.

"Alright," she said loosening her hold on him, not wanting it to go to his head, "what'd you get for dinner?"

He hummed as he sat up reaching for his boxers, and he tossed his shirt at her before he grabbed the bag. "It's probably cold," he said pulling out a cylindrical container wrapped in foil. "I have no idea what this is, the lady said most people liked it."

"The lady?"

They sat on the couch and she watched him unwrap the container seeing it was soup. "Yeah, do you know how far the closest Jewish restaurant is?"

She smiled as she quickly grabbed bowls and spoons and returned to the couch next to him. "Over an hour away," she answered realizing why he'd been rushing. "Did you get me matzo ball soup?" she asked with a hint of excitement as he nodded. "I haven't had this since my grandparents used to let us come over."

He paused at that with his dark brows drawn together knowing her choice of words was deliberate. "Used to?" he asked looking for clarification.

She nodded, since she'd immediately stuffed her mouth with a matzo ball. Swallowing she answered, "there was a time between when my mom left and my dad married my step mom that I got to see them." His face didn't change so she continued. "My mom's Catholic and Rebecca's family is Muslim."

Now he got it, but the candles from the Menorah died out as they were supposed to after a half hour, and he reached for the bag grabbing the actual candle he'd gotten because he knew her house didn't have power yet. After lighting it he set it on the coffee table and sat back enjoying the soup, finding it just a little bland. Finishing dinner he pulled out the last thing he'd gotten from the restaurant and watched her eyes light up the way his had when the owner told him they ate a lot of doughnuts during the holiday. And Lane popped one in her mouth as fast as she had the matzo ball.

"I should make these tomorrow," she mumbled licking her fingers. A thought had her turning to Sweet Pea, who sat with powdered sugar around his mouth. "Oh my god, I'm gonna make you latkes."

He nodded licking his sugar coated lips. "She let me try one, those are amazing. And she said if you were really Jewish you'd make them."

"Well I'm non-practicing but I'll make them anyways," she said reaching for another little doughnut.

They finished the bag and sat back warm and full leaning against each other in the soft candlelight. "Oh crap I forgot," Sweet Pea suddenly said before he rifled through the pockets of his jacket. Finding the small box he sat back beside her and held it out to her.

She blinked almost looking surprised as she slowly took it from him. She didn't know what to expect inside but she opened it seeing a little Menorah on a chain and smiled.

"Now if anyone gives you crap about Christmas you can shove it in their face," he told her glad she seemed to like it. "I picked the one with the little star."

"Of David," she finished for him. She absolutely loved it.

"Who?"

With her brows deeply furrowed she turned to look at his innocent face and she shook her head grinning as she leaned in for a kiss.

"What are my chances of getting laid for the second time tonight?"

She turned to him chuckling seeing his wide smile. "Okay, insert some snarky comment that knocks your cocky ass down several pegs," she said too happy to think of anything mean to say that would assert her control of the situation.

"Oh babe, you do that so well," he said resting his forehead over hers.

She nodded feeling her nose brushing his. "I know I do," she agreed. "And your chances are very high," she said before their smiling mouths met in the middle.

.*.day two.*.

About an hour after school let out Sweet Pea let himself into her house, and he was hit with a waft of chicken, oil, and beneath that cleaner. Shrugging out of his jacket he hung it on the coat rack and kicked his shoes off beside where hers were neatly set.

Making his way to the kitchen he leaned in the doorway watching her move around the stove wearing an apron that she wore over a sweater that she wore over a dress. "Want any help?" he asked knowing full well she wouldn't accept.

"No," she answered. "How was school?"

With a sigh he pushed off from the wall and moved to lean his back against the counter so he could look at her, and in doing so he grabbed one of the doughnuts she'd made and rolled in sugar. "Same as always. Did you call yours?"

She nodded scooping the fried potato cakes out of the skillet and setting them on a plate she'd covered in paper towels. "Yeah, Principal Weatherbee said to come by Friday to pick everything up. How are they?" she asked looking up to see his cheeks puffed out from the second one he shoved in before he'd finished the first.

He held a small doughnut out to her and watched her open her mouth taking it out of his hand. "What's for dinner?" he asked seeing the array of vegetables in the sink that she'd already washed. He wasn't too happy with those.

"Chicken and vegetables," she said seeing the way he eyed that last part. "I could've always gone with my first thought," she turned back to the frying potatoes knowing he was looking at her, "which was liver. And no," she turned to look back up at his appalled face, "I'm not joking. We ate it on crackers."

With his nose still curled he watched her check the chicken in the oven before pulling the latkes out and putting unfried ones in. "I will break up with you if you ever offer me that."

"Not if I break up with you first for saying no," she replied, and they shared a small smile before they both turned away.

He grabbed one of the latke on the bottom and tore off a piece. "I thought you said you liked these best with cheese," he said wishing she'd made them that way, it's the one he'd tried yesterday.

"We're having meat," she responded simply.

And he looked at her wondering if that was supposed to mean something to him, but she'd taken the skillet off the stove and was putting the vegetables on a cutting board to chop. So he left it.

"Hey, sun went down," Sweet Pea said when he'd looked out the front window to see it was dark out.

Stirring the vegetables in the pan she wiped her hands on the apron and they went to the living room to stand at the table by the window. He stood as he had the day before, with his hands on her hips and his chin on the top of her head watching the meticulous way she set the three candles and lit them as she sang her prayer.

This time they had dinner at the table, per her request, and they talked about Christmas presents while they ate. He'd shrugged when she asked what he was getting Toni and Fangs, and then she rephrased and told him they were both getting him something so he needed to come up with a better answer. So they spent the rest of dinner coming up with ideas, and they weren't sure which one started it but they ended it coming up with the most ridiculous answers to try to make the other laugh.

After cleaning up they sat together on the couch and she watched him smile before he pulled another small box from his pocket. Giving him a look she turned to the gift and paused when she opened it. "My dreidel?" she asked and turned to see the bottle of tequila he was offering. "I'm liking this already," she said setting the bottle on her lap before taking the folded paper he held out. It was something he'd printed offline, and when she finally understood what she reading she laughed. "Strip dreidel?" she continued laughing. "Oh I love it."

"I was gonna save this for the end cause it isn't really a present," he told her.

"But then we couldn't play it every night," she finished for him.

And he smiled looking at her so fondly, because it was exactly what he'd been thinking. She'd said it before about him, but he found himself thinking he might've been the lucky one.

.*.day three.*.

"She brings treats," Hog Eye said from behind the bar when Lane set down a tub of doughnuts. Each one was perfectly round, her bubbe taught her to never give an uneven sufganiyah, and she'd filled them all with jam.

"What's the occasion?" Toni asked sitting on the same side of the bar as Lane today, not having to work.

A hand reached around Lane grabbing a doughnut. "Hanukkah." Looking up she saw FP's warm eyes and she smiled. "Good to see you celebrating again," he told her knowing it was because of the boy. He leaned closer. "You don't have any,"

"Latkes?" she finished for him and handed him a smaller container with the few she'd saved, remembering they were his favorite.

"You're a good girl," he exclaimed with a wet kiss to her cheek before he left.

She turned from him and found Toni's guilty eyes. "So that's why you don't celebrate Christmas," Toni said planning to smack Fangs upside the head for being the one to ask out loud. "Is that why Sweet Pea keeps ditching us?" she asked and smiled at Lane's nod.

"I'll tell you about it later."

"You better," Toni told her only half joking. He was so different with her, Toni didn't think Lane knew. "Know when you're starting back at school?" she asked easing into the question Sweet Pea wanted her to ask.

Before Lane answered a hand touched her shoulder and she turned saying hi to a boy she vaguely knew from her stint at the jail. She turned back to Toni, who quickly wiped the grin off her face. "After winter break, I'll use it to catch up."

Toni nodded thinking that made the most sense, and to get Lane's watchful stare to lessen she grabbed a doughnut and bit half of it. "You know, people have noticed that you could be home but you haven't left us." She watched Lane's head tilt slightly. "Have you thought about staying?"

Lane looked at her curiously wondering what she was getting at and why. "Do you mean me joining you or me also moving here too?" she asked seeing Toni suck her lips in at being caught.

She took a moment to consider that, to consider Lane's tone which was as bland as always but it wasn't as hard as it normally could be. "You don't seem to have a problem with either."

Shrugging Lane looked around at everyone around them either sitting together or decorating the bar, sharing smiles and laughs, messing around. "If what I've heard is true then the Serpents are a better family than most of you have individually. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't considered it."

"So what's holding you back?" Toni watched Lane think – Lane was thinking, or rather she was concerned, that she would only ever be a Northsider to them. Be it the crippling fear of being left that kept her from letting people in, but she just couldn't bring herself to trust they'd take care of her – but Toni didn't know Lane that way and so she asked, "you worried about the dance?" because if anything Toni knew Lane was a prude.

Lane was quick to respond, "I'm not doing that."

And somehow Toni found herself taken aback, that she'd let herself forget the entitlement of a Northsider. "Then you'll never be a Serpent," she told Lane firmly.

"Then I'll never be a Serpent," was Lane's simple, distracted, reply.

Before Toni could respond Sweet Pea snuck up beside them with a hand brushing Lane's back. She slid off the stool bidding Toni goodbye

He drove her back to her house and they lit the third candle, four including the shamash. He almost knew the first line of the prayer. "Is that dinner?" he asked smelling something good.

"No," she answered feeling his arms encircle her as he stood behind her watching the candles burn. "That's for tomorrow, we're having leftovers."

He nodded thinking about tomorrow being Friday. "Sabbath, right? I got the candles that burn longer for it."

She looked up at him smiling gently. "Shabbat, and yes," she said using the word she was familiar with. Her father had only observed Shabbat during Hanukkah and she was only planning to do it now because she felt closer to him than she had in years, but she hadn't told Sweet Pea any of this. He'd arrived here all on his own. "You did your research."

He shrugged not willing to admit how much thought or time he'd put into this. So instead he asked, "you want your present now or after dinner?" But he was quick to add, "it's really not anything big."

But she still smiled because nothing he could buy would be better than what he'd done for her. "I've been eating doughnuts all day so I'm not really hungry."

"Alright," he sighed handing her the little plastic package of chocolate coins with a Menorah stamped on one side. And, as it never ceased to amaze him, he watched her eyes light up at something that seemed so small to him.

"Now we can really play dreidel," she told him, having enjoyed their game last night. Though not the hangover they'd woken to.

He shrugged. "As long as it ends in you naked." He watched her laugh and he refused the smile that wanted to spread over his mouth. "What's the one for put in?" he asked not knowing the letters painted on the sides of the wood.

"Shin."

He hummed sitting on the couch and pulling her into his lap. "Shin," he repeated kissing her neck. "As long we get to do that."

She wasn't used to him being this sweet, hell she wasn't used to feeling anything strongly enough to show a reaction. He'd break her heart, it was a thought she unwillingly kept coming back to. But on that night instead of using biting words to push him away, she grabbed their plastic cups from the coffee table.

They held their glasses up as though to toast and he looked at her. "To life," he said.

The corner of her mouth quirked. "L'Chaim." Instead of hitting his cup against hers he leaned forward for a kiss feeling her smile before she returned it.

.*.day four.*.

He found her that day at the dining table with books and papers spread around her as she wrote furiously in a notebook. "That's a lot," he said looking over the different assignments.

"It's only for one class."

His brows rose as he looked down at her, but other than her reply she didn't acknowledge him. "Guess you can't work on it til tomorrow night," he said but she only turned a page and continued writing. "And you're not gonna wanna work on it then." Still nothing, he'd expected some small pull of her face at his innuendo but she only hummed pretending to pay attention.

With a sigh he set the pot in the center of the table watching her eyes glance up before they turned back to her assignment. And he waited, seeing the moment her busy mind caught up.

Him and Fangs had taken her to the store almost every other day for about a month, and she'd stopped to look at the orchids every single time. And she reached gentle fingers to the soft white petals before she looked up at him.

"Don't think anything of it," he said finding himself uncomfortable at how obvious this gesture made him. He'd never tell her how long he stared at the different flowers before picking this one.

With a small smile she turned back to the delicate little flowers that were her mom's favorite. And she took a breath, held it, and let it go before gathering her work together deciding to be done.

"You've still got at least a half hour," he said surprised she was stopping early.

But she shrugged as she stood looking up at him. "I'll hang out with you," she told him, admitting her own vulnerable truth. "But don't think anything of it," she said seeing him scoff as he rolled his eyes. And she reached a hand to his face pulling him down as she rose to her tiptoes to kiss his faintly grinning cheek. "I also have to make sure dinner will be ready," she added seeing his eyes harden unamused, and she left him standing there as she walked into the kitchen laughing to herself.

.*.day five.*.

"I think I like Shabbath," Sweet Pea said as they laid down after lunch.

"Shabbat," she corrected without opening her eyes, laying on her side with an arm thrown over his middle as he laid on his back beside her. "And you were complaining this morning about not touching your cell phone."

He shrugged lazily. "I got over it." He honestly found it a little boring, and she'd seen that on his face and told him she'd always been glad her dad only did Shabbat during Hanukkah and that she was sparing him all of the prayers.

They went for a walk after they woke, using the cold to shake them of their sluggishness from the food and the warmth. He convinced her to play his version of dreidel he'd found online, not to say it took much convincing. And by sundown he stood in his boxers with his arms wrapped around her middle as she wore his shirt like a dress, watching her light the candles; trying to say the words to himself as she sang them.

Sitting on the couch he handed her a messily wrapped box and sat back with a hand on her leg as she opened it. Her brows rose at finding it was massage oil. "You can thank Fangs for that idea," he told her.

"Well it's fitting for the holiday, but yeah," she smiled, "it seems like something Fangs would come up with." She looked at the box hearing the bottle rattle inside as she turned it, feeling him watching her, before a thought came to her and she looked to him with a small smile. "I get to decide what we do with it, right?"

"Yes," he said wary of what she was thinking.

Her smile grew. "Then get upstairs." She watched him blink and she smirked as he climbed the stairs and made for her room, knowing exactly what he was thinking. And she found it so incredibly cute the confused way he looked at her when she told him to lie down.

He'd expected to be doing something to her, with the hope it'd end in something they both enjoyed. But he'd shrugged and did as told, stretching out on her bed lying on his stomach feeling her straddle his hips before her small hands ran along the expanse of his shoulders. With a sigh his eyes fell shut as he relaxed against the bed feeling her hands move from his waist up to his neck where her fingers light dug into the muscle there.

Within maybe five minutes she was chuckling quietly at his soft snores as she rubbed her palms from the center of his back over his shoulders to his forearms. With a deep, content, exhale she leaned over him blowing out the candle she'd set on the bedside table and laid over him with her cheek at the base of his neck and her hands wrapped under his chest. She was warm, and safe, and happy. And she fell into an easy sleep.

.*.day six.*.

He woke with a start, feeling like there was something he'd forgotten to do. But he stretched feeling a weight over his back and he craned his neck seeing the top of Lane's head realizing that's what he'd forgotten. "You awake?" he asked in a hushed voice and after a moment she nodded slowly, having stirred by his moving.

She didn't want to be awake yet, but the longer she was the more aware she became of her arm being asleep still curled beneath him. With a groan she rolled off him and shook her arm as she made her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

They made their way downstairs, he had a bowl of cereal while she ate leftover challah she'd warmed, and they talked about what they were doing for the day. "Jughead's coming over at some point, rest of the time I'll just keep doing homework.".

"You've got, what, like two weeks til it's due," he said as they dressed, not knowing why she was worrying about it now.

But that was because she knew he was a procrastinator. "If I get it done now I'll have more time to enjoy the break," she said like she minded having to do school work.

"That and you're a nerd," he said watching her shimmy into a pair of jeans. "What, no witty comeback?" he asked when she remained quiet.

She turned to him innocently. "I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but I see you are unarmed." He blinked at her confused and she smirked. "What, did that go over your head?"

It didn't take him long to catch on and he smacked her ass hard enough to sting hearing her laugh as she hit his arm. "You watch your mouth or you're gonna pay for it," he warned pulling her against him.

She met him in the middle, smiling against his mouth. "That's kind of the point," she said feeling his hand fall below her waist and squeeze. "Alright," she said with a sigh pushing him away from her, "go be a Serpent, I'll see you later." She turned for the table gathering her things into a large shoulder bag feeling him come up behind her and kiss her temple before he left.

…

"We've got an hour and a half before I need to be back," Lane told Jughead when she opened the door to find him on her doorstep. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

He was quick to straighten his face. Sometimes he hated the way nothing seemed to get past her. "Then we should get going," he said seeing her eyes narrow as they searched his face. But she grabbed her jacket and locked the door behind her.

They talked as they drove, Jughead telling her his dad was doing more jobs for Penny and he'd gotten Tall Boy and a couple other older Serpents in on it. "He asks about you," Jughead said not needing to say Tall Boy for her to know that's what he meant.

"Are we sticking with getting her out of town?" Lane asked refusing to talk about it.

She wasn't ready, so Jughead nodded letting it go for now. "Yeah, I was hoping to scout a place to dump her should we need to remove her from Riverdale."

She nodded considering that. "You thinking Greendale?"

"As a matter of fact," Jughead said turning to her with a lopsided grin, finding that even after years apart they still shared similar thoughts.

…

They made it back to her house just after sundown, and they walked in to find it smelled like the brisket she'd cooked for Shabbat that Sweet Pea took upon himself to heat up. "I was about to call," he said meeting them in the living room.

"Yeah you can thank Jughead."

"You were the one that drove slow," he said in his defense.

But she pushed past him for the window table grabbing the box of candles and pulling out seven. "I drive the speed limit," she informed him as she set them in place.

Jughead leaned against the wall watching Sweet Pea move beside her. "Mind if I stay for the lighting?" Jughead asked, having done Hanukkah with her once a very long time ago.

Her answer was a quiet sure, glancing at Sweet Pea over her shoulder noticing the distance he kept between them with Jughead there. And she found herself disappointed.

Her soft, not quite pretty, voice filled the warm house reciting Hebrew words Jughead found vaguely familiar, watching her light the six candles with the seventh she held in her hand. She sounded almost happy, which was something Jughead hadn't heard in a long time. And on the second verse he watched Sweet Pea wrap his arms around her and saw the faint way she smiled as she finished.

Sweet Pea stood with cheek resting on the top of her head consciously aware of the way Jughead grinned. "You can go now," he told him briskly feeling Lane's hand smack his arm.

"Don't be mean," she told him shooing him back into the kitchen to make sure nothing was burning, and she turned to Jughead. "But seriously, we'll see you later." She gave a clipped smile that Jughead returned before she followed Sweet Pea, hearing the door shut.

After cleaning up dinner she sat on the couch with a glass of the wine she'd found of her step mother's, and she was surprised mid swallow as Sweet Pea set a box in her lap. On sight she knew it was a shirt box and she set the glass down before peeking inside. It was a navy blue sweater with two little stars of David, a couple dreidels, and in bold white letters read _happy Hanukkah ya filthy schmuck_. And she chuckled folding it neatly back into the box. "Now I have a sweater to wear to the party Saturday."

He hummed kissing her forehead. "Toni saw a few others you probably would've liked, but I thought the attitude was more fitting."

"Definitely," she agreed. "Toni went with you?" she asked, having noticed how weird and short she'd been the last week.

Sweet Pea nodded squirming his way behind her to lay on the couch. "So you noticed," he said remembering Toni's guilty offer to help him pick out a sweater with Fangs.

"I notice everything," she said laying with her back to his chest facing the TV he was turning on. Content to lay entertwined.

.*.day seven.*.

"Why is everyone acting weird?" Lane asked watching a suspiciously sweet Toni pouring her another shot of her favorite tequila.

Toni stood back knowing every word was a threat when Lane was too smart to not figure it out. "Sweet Pea said you were coming to our Christmas party, do you want us to put out decorations?" she asked before nodding to herself. "I'll tell Hog Eye to get some."

Lane's eyes narrowed as Toni danced around the question. "I'm too good to fall for that," she informed the other girl, raising a finger in her direction. "But good effort, that was sneaky."

"Thank you," Toni said pretending to be bashful. She saw Sweet Pea, the tallest Serpent currently in the bar, hanging tinsel. "Hey Sweet Pea, I think it's getting close to when you guys need to light the candle," she called to him watching Lane's eyes narrow further.

"We've got an hour," Sweet Pea said taping it to a wooden overhang.

"Yeah, you should probably go," Toni said meeting his eye, seeing him catching on to the fact that Lane was catching on.

"Seriously, what is it?"

A pair of arms suddenly scooped Lane off the stool and she was left grabbing Fangs' shoulders as he carried her to the door. "We just don't want you to miss it, we know how important this is to you." He set her down and all but pushed her out the door, and then he turned to Sweet Pea who came up behind him. "How does she notice everything?" he asked not him.

"Because she has eyes and a brain," Lane answered mildly irritated as she waited for her ride to hurry up.

With a shrug Sweet Pea passed Fangs and replied, "what she said," before he took her home.

The drive was mostly quiet as they listened to the radio, Lane knowing Sweet Pea wasn't gonna tell her anything. She walked up the driveway hearing Sweet Pea pop the trunk and she unlocked the door and went inside turning on the lights downstairs.

When she turned back around she stopped in her tracks at the sight of Sweet Pea standing in the doorway holding a Serpent's jacket small enough to fit her. "So that's why everyone's been weird," she said realizing it had started last week with Toni's questions, and her disapproval with Lane's responses, and then there was today where everyone kept smiling at her but wouldn't say anything.

"Yeah," he said forgetting everything he'd planned to say now that he was looking at her, seeing her wide uncertain eyes as she watched him. "This isn't about us," he told her. "You've been doing this alone for a while, and now that you're back home I can see you're more unhappy here than you were being prisoner at Tall Boy's house. So this," he took a breath, "this is about you. If you want it."

"Sweet Pea," she sighed not knowing what to say because as always with him her mind shut down.

But he stepped toward her not giving her a chance to say no yet. "Look I don't know if we're gonna work out, but I know that whatever happens with us, they'll always have your back."

She nodded getting his point, that this wasn't just because they were together, this was all of them willing to accept her. And she honestly didn't know what to do with that. "I'm sure Toni told you our argument over that dance."

"I pleaded your case," he told her watching her blink, "majority ruled in favor of your initiation being complete when you recite our laws."

That was the last piece, that let her know how much they were willing to care for her by forsaking their own tradition to make room for her broken parts. And that day, standing with a boyfriend she never expected to have, and the idea of a family she never thought she'd get to have again, that day she didn't feel so broken. So she reached for the jacket feeling the cold smooth leather under her palms as she looked up at him. And because she wasn't used to big swells of emotions she tried for something simpler. "I'm gonna have to get a tattoo."

And because his own emotional range was as shallow as hers he happily accepted something easier. "I've thought of a few places you could get it and still be classy," he said watching her roll her eyes. "I was thinking here," his hand brushed under her breast, "or here," his slid his hands around back and his fingers grazed the inside of her thigh as he pulled her up into his arms seeing her smile as she held him. "Or," with one hand under her he reached with the other for her left hand and held it between them as he ran his thumb along her ring finger, and he watched her waiting for her to get it.

Her brow cocked when she finally did, and her stomach flipped and then dropped. "That seems heavy-handed, and a little soon."

"Probably," he agreed bringing her hand to his mouth and kissing the place a ring would've been.

Her stomach did that weird flip again that made her feel like she'd be sick. "I'll sleep on it."

He hummed and nodded with a ghost of a smile pulling at his mouth. "You do that," he said already knowing which one she'd pick.

.*.day eight.*.

And so on the last day of Hanukkah after school she sat in the tattoo parlor watching the heavily tattooed woman carefully etch their symbol on her ring finger. Sweet Pea stood somewhere to her right watching her closely, not paying Fangs any attention as he and Toni looked at the wall of artwork for potential tattoos.

"So when am I reciting the laws?" she asked when he crept closer.

He pulled a chair over and sat beside her tracing the delicate lines inked on her thin finger. "Saturday."

"The party?" she asked turning to look at his blank face. "Well that was decided for a reason," she said now knowing something else was being planned. She was getting sick of surprises.

"Anyone ever tell you you're too smart for your own good?"

With an elbow on the armrest she rested her chin in hand looking up at him with a coy grin. "Guess you're just gonna have to step up your game," she said feigning innocence.

With a derisive hum he nodded. "Shakespeare," he told her seeing her brows draw together, "what you said the other day about the battle of wits." He leaned forward so that their noses just barely touched, seeing the smile in her eyes. "And yes, I did look that up to throw it in your face."

Toni looked over her shoulder wondering how much longer it'd be and smacked Fangs to get his attention before the two pulled apart. It wasn't just that being softest they'd ever seen Sweet Pea, but even with a completely straight face it was the happiest they'd ever seen Lane.

.^.

Come Saturday Lane wore her jacket over the sweater Sweet Pea had bought her, and beside her walked Sweet Pea who wore a simple red and white striped sweater under his own jacket. And she paused at the threshold of the Wyrm seeing amidst the Christmas decorations various blue stars and dreidels, and there was even a light up menorah at the bar.

"What is all this?" Lane asked feeling something warm swelling in her.

FP came around to her side holding out a beautifully hand painted dreidel ornament. "Riverdale's only Jew is about to be one of us, we Hanukkah'd the hell out of this place." He led her to the tree where they'd all brought and hung an ornament of their own and he waited as she hung hers. And with a hand on her shoulder he told her, "just so you know: you point out the boy that hurt you and we will skin him alive."

She looked up at him with a straight face and told him in a serious manner, "you're gonna make me cry."

He smiled knocking her chin and turned her to face the filled bar. "You ready, kid?"

She glanced at the welcoming faces and the effort they'd gone to include her and she turned back to FP and told him with absolute certainty, "yes."

* * *

 _[I wanted that jacket to hit you guys the same way it hit Lane, so having this scene in there would've negated that. So I guess this is like a deleted scene, it takes place on day six before Jughead goes to see Lane]_

"Just like a Northsider to expect special treatment."

Jughead stood in the center of the Wyte Wyrm in a sea of snakes holding a meeting he and Sweet Pea convinced his father to call. He'd expected backlash when he made the suggestion of Lane becoming a Serpent, but for the most part they accepted that pretty well with a few admitting she already acted like one. It was the Serpent Dance that ended up being the issue, and what surprised Jughead most was that Toni was Lane's biggest opposition. "I'm not asking for special treatment," Jughead said looking from Toni to the unhappy crowd, "I'm saying she's done enough."

"How so?" FP asked finding himself caught between not wanting Lane apart of this and knowing she'd make a hell of an asset. It was a matter of tradition, she couldn't start this already asking for favors.

Jughead turned to his father. "She's gotten Serpents out of jail twice now, the second at her own expense: no Serpent stands alone. When Sweet Pea and Fangs were caught by Ghoulies they told her to run and she instead got them out: no Serpent is left for dead. Instead of running she sat face to face with the man trying to kill her for the sole purpose of making sure none of was killed because of her: a Serpent never betrays their own." Jughead looked around him to see several people nodding along with him, not everyone but he just needed the majority. "She's been following our laws without even knowing them. I'm saying she's done enough."

"For you maybe," Toni exclaimed unsatisfied, hearing several feminine agreements. "But those of us subjected to that misogynistic initiation, that a lot of you refused to outlaw mind you, might feel a little different. Maybe even a little resentment."

Jughead looked to Sweet Pea, who'd been the one to approach him about Lane in the first place, having yet to hear him offer her any defense. And he turned back not knowing what else to say.

FP saw this and he knew this wasn't gonna Jughead's way, not now. So he looked to Sweet Pea, who was the one who said she'd never do the dance, and told him, "make a case."

Sweet Pea released a heavy sigh having hoped it wouldn't come to this. "She was sexually assaulted earlier this year. I'm not asking her to do this."

An uneasy hush fell over them as they understood what Lane was up against. Toni, who's face had only moments before been screwed up with self-righteous anger now looked down almost ashamed, as did a few other women, even a few men. FP took their silence as a decision and he turned to address them. "We take care of our own," he said looking around them. "All in favor of letting Lane forfeit the dance?"

Tall Boy stood back with his hands down curled into fists. But slowly hands began to rise, most all of the women that had minutes before opposed her, Toni included. They took care of their own, and as they stood there with their hands raised they were taking care of Lane.


	15. Chapter 15

It was close to morning by the time Sweet Pea returned from the run he'd been tagged to do with FP and Tall Boy. He stepped inside his dark trailer just barely making out where Lane was lying on her side, glad she hadn't waited up for him because he honestly didn't know what to say to her. Only that they hadn't been together long enough to deal with this.

His large body jostling the bed woke her, and she laid still feeling his hand on her waist as he kissed her shoulder. "Be careful with her," she told him hearing his heavy sigh.

He didn't want to do this with her, it was too late for him to be anything but mean. "You're not my mother," he said in a biting tone as he rolled over. And he released another breath at feeling her arm slide around his middle as she nestled against his back.

"I'm not telling you to stop," she said feeling him still as he listened.

But he kept his face turned away because her touching him was bad enough but seeing her pretty face he knew he'd apologize, then he'd tell her everything and both FP and Tall Boy warned him against that. "It's Serpent business, you're not there yet."

She took a moment to think that through, that it never stopped him from telling her things before which meant someone told him to keep quiet. "Good to know that's where you stand, but I was talking about her being a lawyer." She met his shadowed eyes when he finally turned to look at her. "Her favors are meant to entrap you into receiving compensation for labor, she's made you an accessory at the very least."

Her voice was soft, almost gentle even, and he felt the rush of indignation melt away as he realized she was right. Which had to have been her plan, because even on a good day she never spoke to him this sweetly. "So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying be careful. I will support all of your stupid decisions, but some things not even I can fix." Seeing his mouth purse as he nodded she kissed his forehead, feeling him lean into her. And then she slapped his cheek, too soft to be hard but too hard to consider soft. "And you're the one who decided to fall for a girl who doesn't have anyone," she said turning on her side with her back to him, "you're the thing that matters most to me, don't be a dick."

He stared at the back of her head several moments as he unhappily realized all she'd done was care, and he knew her well enough that if he didn't cut it out now she would eventually stop. So he threw an arm around her pulling her back to his chest and curled around her. "You're a pain in the ass," he mumbled against her shoulder feeling her hand on his arm as she held him. But he laid against her glad for it.

.^.

At the loud incessant pounding on the door FP groggily answered it to find a deeply vexed Lane. "It's early, did something happen?" he asked moving back so she could come inside.

"Just waiting for your son to get his crap together," she said seeing his short breath of a laugh as he pointed to where Jughead was coming around the corner with messy hair wearing only a shirt and boxers.

He took one look at her furrowed brows and knew why she was there. "I take it you know." When his dad recruited Sweet Pea last night Jughead knew Lane wouldn't be happy.

"Does now really seem like the time to be a smartass?"

He blinked at her scathing tone and quickly told her, "no." He almost jumped when she marched toward him and he let her shoo him into the bathroom. FP was left in the main room shaking his head somewhere close to amused; she'd make a hell of an adviser when she was older.

Jughead waited as she turned both faucets on to muffle their voices. "She's going to recruit everyone," he said having been slowly watching his father grow more and more strained. It was only a matter of time.

But Lane shook her head. "She doesn't need everyone, Jug. She just needs enough big players so everyone else is forced to fall in line."

"And this isn't just about Sweet Pea?" he posed knowing it was.

But again she shook her head, because his own stubborn resolve was making him stupid. "If this is about any one person it's FP. The hole he's digging is only getting bigger, and there aren't many Serpents who'd stand back and let him bury himself alone. She's already got her big player."

Sweet Pea was just the tip of iceberg and it had Jughead sighing. "So what are you saying?"

She was getting tired of being asked that question when she thought she was being very clear. "Since I'm not without heart and I recognize this is hard on you because of your dad I'll give you til the end of the week," she said, both of them aware that was the end of tomorrow. "Either we get rid of her before then or I'll get rid of her myself. And you've made it clear you don't agree with how I'll do that." They shared a long look feeling the distance between them before she wrenched the door open and let herself out, waving at FP's call of goodbye.

…

Sweet Pea was pulling on his jacket when she opened the door, and he paused staring down at where she stood with several feet between them. "Where'd you go?" he asked. Neither of them moved closer, and they could feel the distance like a tangible thing separating them.

"The Jones' trailer."

That was her answer more and more lately, he saw the way Jughead would seek her out, would convince her to leave with him, how closely they stood as they spoke. Sweet Pea wasn't the jealous kind but he was for her. "You're a Serpent, what, one day and you're already keeping secrets?"

"This has been going on since FP got back," she informed him calmly. If he really thought about it he knew that was true, but to hear her so readily admitting that she purposefully kept things from him; it hurt. And she knew it did, because for a while he was the only one she trusted. "Jughead approached me, it wasn't mine to share. But I'll tell you what," she stepped closer, "if he pussies out you're the one I'm coming to. Or," this time he was the one to come closer, "he mans up and tells you himself."

They met in the middle and stood a breath apart staring heavily at each other. And it was Sweet Pea to speak first. "I don't like us not telling each other things." He realized after last night that now included him too.

"Me neither," was her quiet agreement.

They stayed in that quiet moment just a little longer, his fingers grazing the back of her hand before his next breath came shorter and he closed the distance between them. With a hand around the back of her neck he forced her head back and ducked his own head low so that his face hovered above hers, and he lightly grazed her soft throat with the tips of his fingers.

This is the sight Fangs was met with as he threw the door open, and he stopped dead in his tracks with a goofy grin at the way the two didn't even move. "Should I come back?"

Sweet Pea stared down at her smiling eyes and felt his lips twitch. "We'll finish later," he said taking a breath before they both stepped back.

They met up with Toni outside and the four made their way to the Wyrm; the boys wrapping presents for Toys for Tots, and the girls helping with Meals on Wheels. They'd almost finished for the day when Lane's phone buzzed. With her hands busy she left it, but not even a minute later Toni's phone did as well. Sharing a disconcerted look the girls put down the boxes of prepared food they'd been carrying to a truck out back and stood comparing the messages they received from Jughead. Toni's only said he was calling for a meeting with the younger Serpents, but Lane's had the additional attitude of him saying _you wanted me to take care of it, I'm calling a meeting._

"Snake charmer?" Toni asked connecting the dots in a way Lane appreciated as she nodded.

The two girls walked inside the bar and split up tapping every Serpent around their age to let them know and to call whoever wasn't there. Lane made her way to her boys and Fangs jumped when he looked up to see it was her. "We weren't watching the girl dance," he was quick to tell her.

Her brows drew close together as she looked down at his wide, guilty, eyes. "Great," she told him simply before turning to an unapologetic Sweet Pea, "Jug wants a meeting." With a gentle hand to his arm she left catching sight of three boys at a table with Tall Boy, who'd been hanging around the bar more now and watched her closely because it was the only time he saw her anymore. She pointed to the boys, "you three help move boxes." Without giving them a chance to ask why she walked away, feeling Tall Boy reach a hand to brush hers as she passed him. It was enough to make her eyes sting and she blinked several times refusing to be affected, because she knew what he'd done and more than that she knew she'd go back to him.

They all slipped out the back and climbed on their bikes, the few that had come with someone else went with Lane to her car. "Maybe I should drive."

Lane turned at the light high-toned voice to see a boy her age with the pretty feminine face whose name she thought might've been Mac, and with a roll of her eyes she tossed him the keys and went around the passenger's side. She sat back quietly for the ride refusing to answer why they were meeting, letting Mac drive almost twenty over the speed limit to keep up with the group directly in front of them.

They climbed out of the car and made their way around the back of a building to where a couple couches and chairs had been set around a metal trash can used for a fire. Mac sat in a chair facing where Jughead stood front and center, and Lane stood behind where he sat with one hand on the back of his chair and the other on her cocked hip. She locked eyes with Jughead and they shared a small nod.

"Penny Peabody's got my dad dealing drugs," Jughead told them. "I know this cause she had me doing it before him. Now she's roped in Tall Boy, and Sweet Pea."

With a shake of his head Sweet Pea said, "man, if you're pissed because your old man tapped me instead of you-"

"No, Sweet Pea," Jughead cut in, "I'm pissed because I don't want the Serpents to end up like the Ghoulies. And I doubt that any of you became Serpents just to be at the beck and call of a drug queen pin. I know where this ends: death. Jail. Which is why in the interest of self preservation, we have to take out Penny."

Lane listened to this quietly, finding it dramatic if not a bit convoluted. He was dancing around the actual important details, he needed to cut to the chase and get to the heart of it before someone – by which she meant Sweet Pea – would speak up unsatisfied.

As if on cue Sweet Pea spoke out again, "the Snake Charmer's helped some of us." And Lane looked at him wondering who he was protecting, himself or FP who didn't approve of this.

"Oh yeah," Jughead asked turning to face him fully. "And what did she ask for in return, Sweet Pea? How many favors?" When Sweet Pea didn't give an answer he turned to the others. "Now, if we don't stop Penny tonight she is going to get every single one of you in on this. I promise you." He looked back to his opposer, "I promise you Sweet Pea."

Sweet Pea turned to Fangs and they shared a heavy look not liking the situation any more than Jughead, but it's what FP was doing. And he looked to where Lane stood several feet away still watching Jughead, realizing this is what the two of them had been planning.

Jughead continued. "What I am asking is; are you willing to risk your necks to save my dad's life?" He looked at the Serpents around him seeing faces of those too unsure to back him, the only one he knew would speak up was Lane – but they both knew his first offer of support needed to come from someone other than her.

"What is the first law?" Toni demanded willingly coming to his defense, and she looked around her fellow Serpents disappointed in them.

"No Serpent stands alone," Sweet Pea resigned himself to answer. And he looked at Jughead as he stood and told him, "I'm in."

"Me too," Toni agreed.

Fangs was the next one to stand and with it the others stood and gathered around Jughead, offering their support. It was now or never, he thought. "You wanna fill them in on the plan, Lane?" Jughead asked turning to where she now stood between Mac and Fangs. They'd find out she was apart of it eventually, better to make it known early what Lane's role was within them.

"You consulted with the newest Serpent?" Mac asked looking from Jughead to where Lane stood beside him.

She looked up at his piercing blue eyes and calmly asked, "would it make you feel better if I said we made this plan before I was a Serpent?"

"No."

She shrugged turning back to the fire they were standing around. "Then I guess I won't say it."

Jughead rolled his eyes knowing she was making this more difficult than needed, as some last ditch attempt to make it known to him she didn't agree with this. "Lane," he sighed sounding exasperated.

"What's the plan?" Sweet Pea asked looking down at her.

Staring up at him she took a breath and, never one to mince words, she simply stated, "bag her and drive her out of Riverdale. Strip her of all things Serpent." Including her tattoo, but Lane didn't need to say that because they knew. A heavy weight settled on them as they thought of what they'd be doing, but between Jughead's reasoning and Lane's straightforward plan they nodded accepting that this was not only something that had to be done but also something they were capable of doing.

…

That night Lane sat in a van outside the warehouse the others were sneaking into, resting her elbow on the edge of the rolled down window looking at the delicate two headed snake on her finger. These were her people now, she was still getting used to that. But as she looked to where Sweet Pea and Fangs were carrying a thrashing, hooded, Penny Peabody, she didn't think there wasn't much she wouldn't do for them.

"Sure you don't want me to drive?" Mac asked climbing in beside her while the others squeezed in the back restraining their captive.

She turned fixing him with a wry stare, seeing the smile curled on his soft girlish mouth. "The idea is to not get pulled over," she told him putting the van in gear and pulling out, flanked by a handful of roaring motorcycles.

"You remember the place?" Jughead asked from the back, where he sat across from Penny with a sullen look in his eye.

Her only response was a blunt, "you really asking me that?" Behind her Jughead smirked darkly, and beside him sat a gloomy Sweet Pea who was almost unsettled by how easily they both had come into this and how readily they were stepping up to take care of things.

She pulled into the clearing and walked around the back pulling the doors open and stepping aside so they could carry her down.

She watched Sweet Pea and Fangs drag Penny around to the ditch in front of the van, and as Jughead passed her Lane held out her hand. They shared a long heavy look before he pulled out his switchblade and handed it to her. And while he stepped forward to address Penny as Toni tore the hood off her head, Lane reached into Mac's pocket for the lighter she knew he always carried.

She stood at the back of the group between the glaring brightness of the headlights holding the blade to the flame as Jughead told Penny he didn't care what she did but it would not longer be in Riverdale.

Her fingers grew too warm as she continuously moved the blade threw the flame, and she watched Penny all the while seeing her first size Jughead up then laugh as she decided not to take him seriously. This was the first time Lane was seeing Penny, all she'd had to go on was Jughead's description of her – but from these few minutes alone Lane knew she was gonna end up being right in this being the wrong approach.

"You stupid, cocky, kid," Penny said still laughing. "Serpent law says you can't hurt one of your own." She pulled back her sleeve to show the tattoo on her forearm.

Jughead nodded seeing she hadn't caught on yet. But she would. "Oh Penny, it's time you learned." He stepped back and turned to face the Serpents behind him. "Grab her," he told them as he pulled his jacket off. He stepped in front of Lane watching the small flame go out before they exchanged what was in their hand: her for his jacket and him for the knife.

"That tattoo doesn't make you a Serpent," Jughead told Penny as he knelt in front of where Sweet Pea and Toni held her down, feeling the handle warm in his hand. Heating the knife had been Lane's idea, she told him it was to sterilize it - she didn't think he'd appreciate her thought that it'd make cutting through her skin easier.

Lane stood back watching with a strange disconnect as Penny thrashed around trying to get away, hearing her screaming turn to quiet sobs, and Lane's calm unaffected face looked as though none of it reached her. She turned from where they left Penny, moaning as she clutched her arm, and climbed back in the van. It was a somber drive back, and they either parted ways with quiet goodbyes or linked arms going in search of a much needed drink. Lane found herself in Sweet Pea's trailer looking to where he sat with his head in hand trying to clear his muddled mind.

Slowly she moved to him standing in the space between his legs feeling his arms encircle her back as he settled against her chest, and it was close and quiet enough he could've sworn he heard the soft beat of her heart beneath his ear. She stayed there holding him as long as he needed to feel okay, until finally he turned into her pressing soft kisses along her collar bone.

A loud knock on the door had them both sighing reluctant to pull apart, but it was followed by another knock and Lane let him go and answered it. "Figured you'd be here," Toni said as she stepped past Lane into the trailer, followed by Fangs who handed Lane the bottle they'd stopped to get knowing it'd made her more welcoming. "Jughead's on his way."

"Of course he is," Sweet Pea grumbled as he stood from where he'd been sitting on the bed and stood in the main area as his two closest friends sat on the couch. He and Lane shared a disappointed look before they sat at the small table; or rather Sweet Pea sat at the table while Lane sat on it with her legs crossed hanging off the edge. She took a swig of the whiskey and passed it to him watching him knock it back quickly.

They talked a little, stuffed their mouths the food Fangs raided from the pantry Lane kept stocked, and they drank. Jughead got there and not much changed, he sat across from Sweet Pea with Lane between them and he noticed the hand she rested on the table behind her and the way Sweet Pea absentmindedly ran his thumb along her tattoo. Until finally Fangs said something that struck them all and they finally felt light enough to laugh as they passed the bottle between them until it was gone. And then Jughead set the one he'd brought on the table beside Lane.

…

"Every time," Toni said to herself as she snapped a picture of the three on the bed. A groggy Jughead moved behind her and gave a short breath of a laugh at the sight of Fangs on his side with Lane tucked against his back and then Sweet Pea behind her with an arm slung over both of them. For the second time Toni and Jughead had woken on the couch, both in a state of undress, but the three laying together wore only each other.

Lane was the first to stir, hearing Toni and Jughead's quiet voices, and when she realized the shoulders her head rested against weren't broad enough to be Sweet Pea's she rolled over wrapping an arm around him as she buried her face in his chest. Her moving roused Sweet Pea into stretching and in doing so he became consciously aware of her holding him and him holding someone else. Lifting his head he saw Fangs on the other side of the bed and he grumbled to himself as he wrapped his arms around Lane and turned them over so his back was to Fangs, taking the covers with them.

.^.

Lane sat by herself at the bar near the pool table Sweet Pea and Fangs occupied, and she nursed a half finished drink while flipping through pages of notes. Coming up beside her FP knocked on the wood to get her attention, and she looked up at him with a quiet hey before turning back to her work. He stared at her a moment longer before he sat down. "Jughead tells me I've got you to thank with helping get rid of Peabody," he said cutting to the chase.

She continued filling in the study guide Ethel had brought her, who Lane had texted regarding one assignment in a class they shared. Ethel had come over with the guide explaining there was a test the first day back; which was the first Lane had heard about it. "Personally," she started without looking up, "I thought the best option with the least blowback was killing her. But your son didn't agree."

FP nodded as he thought that through, harking back on Jughead's certainty he'd scared Penny out of town. But FP knew her too well and he sighed. "I'm afraid you're gonna end up being right."

She looked up at him then and told him very plainly, "I'm always right."

He watched her turn back to her papers and found himself smiling faintly, seeing so much of her father in her behavior. He'd been a kind man, which Lane was most certainly not, but he spoke in similar blunt statements. "You given any thought to wearing your jacket tomorrow?" he asked knowing she started back at Riverdale High

Her brows scrunched together as she thought. "I didn't think about it," she said quietly, mostly to herself. And then she sighed irritably. "I'm gonna have to pick a different outfit."

"You already picked what you're gonna wear?" Toni asked, having stopped behind them and waited.

Lane turned to the seat Toni sat in beside her. "I'm meeting with the principal first thing, he's going to tell me how he'll be watching my grades closely to make sure my lengthy absence hasn't left me unable to keep up with my higher level classes."

Toni's brows rose at the thought of that conversation, and she almost wanted to witness it. "That's not gonna go well."

"No," Lane agreed reaching for the glass she'd forgotten. "I'm gonna end up saying something to the effect of 'suck my dick,' and he already doesn't like me."

"Wonder why?" FP asked with a laugh as he scooted back, planning to leave the girls to talk amongst themselves.

But Toni was looking up at him with a smile. "Because Lane is a work in progress. We're still trying to teach her how to play with others," she said turning from where FP stood chuckling to where Lane was looking over at her dryly.

"I'd say something if that weren't true," she replied hearing Toni's sweet laughter as Lane turned back to her work. But her mind was still stuck on FP's question and what she wanted to do, because she planned to wear slacks and a blouse and leather didn't really go. She sighed shaking her head. "I'll wear it the second day, I'm sticking with my original plan."

That wasn't a surprise to Toni, Lane was one of the most stubborn people she knew and when she set her mind on something it was normally set – the only time Toni thought she'd ever seen Lane change her mind was on Sweet Pea and for the Serpents. And this instance was regarding the latter. "Your principal really doesn't like you, does he?"

She took a moment to think about what it really came down to, because as per Principal Weatherbee she'd been a thorn in his side from the day she started at Riverdale High; yet they ended up fifty-fifty with what he would and would not agree to with her. "He's kind of like the older, male, version of me," she said considering it before she nodded deciding that it seemed right. And then she turned to Toni, who sat with her brows raised. "To which I toast you," she raised her glass, "for ever deciding to like me."

"I will drink to that," Toni said with a warm laugh. Their glasses met with a faint clink and they smiled as they drank.

…

Same time the next day Lane was shoving the door open and stalking past every person that said hello without so much as acknowledgement from her. She threw herself into the chair between Fangs and Toni and slumped down so that her head was against the back of it and her deeply unhappy eyes were on the ceiling.

"Bad day?" Fangs was brave enough to ask her. Because all Sweet Pea could see was the bandaid around her finger hiding her tattoo.

"Everything's awful, and I'm dying."

The four shared glances not sure what to do with that, eventually Jughead nudged Toni and jerked his head to where Lane slouched. "I take it the talk with your principal didn't go well," she said, which was the only thing she could guess.

Letting her head fall to the side Lane looked at her and said, "it's a long list."

But Toni sat back with hands raised. "Lay it on me."

Taking a sharp breath Lane sat up and gulped the rest of Fangs' beer before starting. "Well the school is a mess and outlandish. I'm going to have to go around and take down every poster they put up that wasn't approved or authorized because of certain student demographics that might find them offensive to either personal or religious beliefs. The bulletin board is a disaster, everything is covered by something, you can't see anything clearly; so I'm gonna have to fix that too."

She'd finally taken a breath, and the four still sat with the same blank expressions not knowing what to do with all this. And again it was Toni to speak up. "And you haven't gotten to Weatherbee," she reminded her.

This time Lane sighed and slouched back again. "He said I can pick one extracurricular for the time being. And we'll be meeting everyday for the first week and then every other day the next two, and if my GPA lowers even a fraction I can either quit the extracurricular or drop all of my AP classes to honors."

"He also tell you to…"

Lane followed where Toni was pointing to the bandaid on her finger and she rolled her eyes before ripping it off. "And now I have to find a ring, because I swear to god 'good morning Ms Vivian,' and 'you need to cover that,' were in the same sentence."

While Toni patted her leg Fangs, with his perpetual grin, told her, "but we're coming to school with you tomorrow."

It didn't have the desired effect, instead she sighed again and sunk lower giving a small, "yeah."

"What?" Sweet Pea demanded, still not over her hiding her tattoo.

"I have to put up sign up sheets to all after school activities, should any of you want to join. Guess where they go?"

With a sympathetic smile Toni answered, "the bulletin board."

Lane nodded and brought a hand to her face. "It's awful and I'm dying."

With a kiss to Lane's cheek Toni stood. "I'll get you a drink," she told her before heading to the bar.

When there was no change in Lane's expression at the promise of a drink, which usually perked her up, Fangs turned to Sweet Pea. "You wanna offer her something to eat?" he asked knowing if drinks didn't work sometimes food did.

"He'll offer to eat me later," Lane said before her mind caught up. And when it did she sat up facing the three wide eyed boys. "What the hell just came out of my mouth?" she asked, and Sweet Pea howled as his face split with a wide grin.

…

Later she laid in Sweet Pea's dark trailer catching her breath, feeling Sweet Pea's head over her stomach as he caught his before he flopped himself on the bed beside her. "I still can't believe you said that," he said hearing her faint laughter beside him.

Neither could she. "You're rubbing off on me," she told him, and she laughed once more before falling quiet.

"What?" he asked, having known there was something she wasn't saying back at the bar.

She sighed not wanting to say what she was about to, but she took a breath and manned up. "I don't think it's a good idea letting them know we're together yet."

Whether or not he agreed his first thought was that she didn't want her old friends to know she was with him. The thought of her being ashamed of him, after all they'd been through, made his face flush with anger – and beneath that, hurt. "Fine," he spit as he sat up, wanting to get away from her.

But she knew him and she'd sat up with him and wrapped her arms around his waist forcing him to stay with her, hearing the rush of air leave his nose. "I'm friends with people who'd hurt you, and I'm not okay being the reason for that." Reggie had already approached her about this, wanting to know if there was anything she could do to stop it – not even acknowledging that she was back until after. He was gonna be the biggest problem, she already knew it.

He took a breath at her gentle voice hearing that she meant it, so he nodded and gave a softer, "fine."

She wasn't any happier about what she was saying, or that she even had to say. "We'll give it a week, see how it is, and reconvene," she offered, mostly assuring herself it wasn't permanent.

His eyes rolled. "I already said fine."

"Yeah, but not like you meant it."

"I didn't mean it," he was quick to tell her as he turned to look at her. "If I had it my way the whole damn world would know you're mine."

She smiled knowing that mine went both ways. And she pressed a firm kiss to his shoulder before hugging him tighter. "You're just a big softie," she said, knowing he only was for her.


	16. Chapter 16

Sweet Pea had woken that morning to an empty bed with only the vague memory of a soft kiss to his forehead before the click of the lock turning had him stirring. It wasn't even light out yet. The first time he saw her that morning was when she wandered into the stand off between the unwelcome Serpents and the unwelcoming Northsiders.

Lane had leftover pieces of tinsel draped over her shoulders as she scribbled in a notebook, her pale eyes scanning the walls for anything either out of place, in need of being replaced, or unapproved. And she walked through the Northsiders that were loudly opposing the Serpents without so much as acknowledging what was going on.

"You know I bet Lane's got something to say," Reggie said catching sight of her as she stepped across the invisible dividing line and stopped to look at a poster on a corner. "She's not gonna like you snakes ruining our GPA. Tell 'em Lane."

"I'm busy, don't talk to me," she said making a note that the sign was ripped before she carried on. Needless to say her fellow Serpents didn't know what to make of it, either she was willfully ignoring this or was oblivious to it. Both answers were wrong, and they all noticed she still wasn't wearing her jacket.

…

Lane stood over the table she'd neatly set all of the flyers and pamphlets and occasional doodles that she removed from the bulletin board. She was currently going through each of them making sure everything was up to date, which almost none of it was. Finding things dated from the week after she left, over two months ago, put her in a sour mood.

"You need to make time to talk to me tonight."

Turning from what felt like a pointless effort Lane looked at Jughead confused. "About?"

"You," he answered, looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was behind him. "Specifically what we expect from you as a Serpent."

With deeply knit brows she watched him move to the vending machine and she sighed before turning back to the now empty board she would be filling. This day was progressively getting worse: she had spent all of her free time at school picking up a mess that never seemed to end, tomorrow she'd be meeting with the student council to discuss her retaking her role as head of it, Reggie and Cheryl kept coming to her with minuscule problems hoping in some way she could get the Serpents kicked out of the school, she hadn't eaten lunch, she was gonna spend all night doing homework, and now she had to look forward to Jughead telling her she wasn't being a good enough Serpent.

Sweet Pea leaned against the wall beside her seeing her morose expression, but he was bitter over her silence too. "I'd say something to make you smile," he started, waiting as she looked up at him, "but I wouldn't want anyone thinking we were together." He hadn't noticed the small way her eyes had brightened when she saw him until after they dimmed, even irritated at her he still regretted that.

But Toni came up beside him with an unkind smirk. "Yeah, wouldn't want any Northsiders to know you sleep with snakes."

They left her by the table against the wall and Lane scowled deeply at yet another thing she now needed to deal with. And it would have to be soon after the alarming call she'd gotten at four thirty that morning. But she took a deep, angry, breath and let it go deciding to finish one task at a time. Tossing old flyers out, she not even half listened to the slightly awkward greetings behind her as Veronica, Kevin, and Josie joined them. It was in this foul mood that the football player, who'd been assigned to student council as punishment for an ill conceived prank, sidled up to her with a grin that always rubbed her the wrong way.

"Got everything on the list," he said holding the stack of posters he'd removed.

Instead of saying thank you Lane commented, mostly to herself, "it still doesn't answer why it was put up in the first place."

He was a big guy, almost twice her shoulder width and at least a foot taller, and he hovered over her and smugly said; "we must've misinterpreted your notes."

As the saying goes it was the straw that broke the camel's back, and she whirled on him with such fire in her eyes he stepped back. "Here's what's gonna happen," she said in a barely restrained voice, "I'm either going to stab you in the eye, which one you want me to gouge out with this pen's up to you, or you're gonna give me a more acceptable answer. Because the one you just gave suggests to me the education system has failed you so horribly that a first grader's reading comprehension surpasses your own, because that is the only believable way you could possibly misinterpret a 'do not put up' label."

The seven behind her, Northsider and Serpent alike, all stared with wide eyes and gaping mouths to where the very irate girl stared up at the now meek giant that towered over her. His head was bowed as he looked down at her, and he answered in a strained almost squeaky voice – as though she were clenching his nuts in her fists: "we got tired of the old ones."

Lane nodded having known that was the answer, but since she'd also been in the community based program she knew how fickle the parental board was in regards to what they approved of their children seeing and they liked the old posters. "Who gave that okay?" she demanded sounding more calm than she felt.

His answer came in a very quiet voice. "Ethel asked Weatherbee."

She gave a short and very unamused laugh as she stepped away from the table. "Of course," she said storming out of the student lounge, leaving behind the chastised football player and the still startled group.

"I think we might've pushed her too hard," Toni said having only seen her blow up like that once, when Jughead brought Betty to the Wyrm when she was still hiding.

But Jughead was shaking his head. "There's something she hasn't told us yet," he remarked knowing Lane well enough that this behavior was a culmination of things. He even thought he might know what troubled her.

"Us?" Veronica asked looking between Toni and Jughead confused.

Before Jughead could find a response Principal Weatherbee was yelling for them to follow him. It's who Lane had been looking for, because Weatherbee had made no such suggestion that he approved anything she told him needed to be taken down. However, when she didn't find him in his office she circled back and was stopped cold at the sight of a poorly spray painted snake on the emblem in the middle of the floor. And she stood silent and unnoticed as Weatherbee told them that effective immediately any and all signs of gang related activity would result in suspension. All the while Reggie stood grinning at his small victory, watching the snakes slither away.

But Reggie turned around and met Lane's dark eyes, where she'd been waiting hidden behind him. He cleared his throat and looked away, up, side to side, down; anywhere but at her seemingly non-blinking stare. He chanced glancing at her but her expression was unchanged, as was her posture. Honestly he didn't know if she was even breathing. "I'll help you clean it up after school," he finally told her. She still didn't move, so he took a step to the right and almost jumped at the way her eyes followed him.

Which is how he found himself after the last bell rang on his knees opposite her as they both scrubbed the floor. "Why are you taking their side?" he demanded. "Look what they did." He motioned to the part of the snake that was still left.

"You did this," she told him without looking up. She finally did though when she felt him flick water at her, and she fixed him with a hard stare before his smiling face softened hers. "Why are you so against them?" she asked deciding now was a good a time as any, because she'd been right in him causing the most trouble. "And don't give me that crap you and Cheryl were spewing this morning."

"So you were listening," he said, still bitter over the way she'd shut him down. But instead of answering he said, "I saw the way some of them looked at you, like they knew you."

She looked him dead in the eye and told him without hesitation, "They do. And that's not up for discussion."

He sat back as though stung, finding it hard to piece her together with the Serpents but he was realizing now that was where she'd been. "What the hell did you do?" he asked too enraged at the thought of her with one of them to shrink at her dark expression.

"You spray painted on the floor, wanna talk about that?" she demanded instead.

They were left glaring at each other before she started cleaning, and after a moment he scrubbed angrily at the floor with her. When they'd finished and tossed the brushes into the dirty bucket of water he grabbed the handle before she could. "You made the wrong choice, Lanie," he told her severely before shoving past her

And she watched him go knowing he wasn't coming back, and in the end he was just another person to leave her. Everything from the past few days felt like it was piling on top of her, and she was left with this weight that used to be her life and she was finding that she didn't want it anymore. Because just last week she'd been so much happier than she was now.

And because the day wouldn't end she found herself parking outside of the Whyte Wyrm wanting to get whatever was gonna happen over with so she could go home and do homework, and maybe go to bed before eleven thirty.

The bar was almost empty at that time of day, save the three she was after and a few other Serpents her age. Jughead was still riled up over Weatherbee banning their jackets, and the fact that neither Toni nor Sweet Pea seemed to care. Considering Lane wasn't wearing hers he didn't think she'd have much of a problem either. "Thanks for the help today," he said in a harsh tone. "Where've you been?"

It was the wrong time for both of them and neither had the patience. "With Reggie, cleaning up his mess." Where've you been other than here whining like a little bitch while I continue to be the only getting things done – Lane bit her tongue to keep from saying that, because she was too tired for an argument.

From where he stood playing Mortal Kombat Sweet Pea scoffed, really not liking that she was friends with Reggie now that he knew what he was like. "I know you said keeping our distance at school was about me, but I'm starting think you used that as excuse to keep your Northsider boyfriend," he said refusing to look at her, because he didn't want to give in.

"You seriously asked him to do that?" Toni asked with her nose curled and her eyes burning.

But Lane was looking, or rather, glowering at the back of Sweet Pea's head. "You think I'm enjoying this!" she cried surprising him into turning around to look at her. But she took a breath and shook her head. "I'm going home," she told them as she turned. "I'm not in a good enough mood to deal with this."

He watched her throw the door open leaving as quickly and as unhappily as she'd come, and he stood there for several moments weighing his options. "Sweet Pea," Fangs coaxed, ready to go after her if he didn't.

"I'm going," Sweet Pea growled before he charged outside and headed for his bike so he could meet her at her house. But he stopped at the sight of her sitting on it with her arms pulled tightly around her. "You waited?"

Without looking up at him she answered, "you always come after me, it's less annoying if I wait."

He stood in front of her scuffing his boots on the ground with his hands curled in his pockets, hating that she always made him like this. "I'm sorry for being an ass," he told her, and waited for her to apologize in return because that's what they did. They argued all the time, usually it was about nothing so it meant nothing, but occasionally they ran against bigger things and they'd say their piece apologize and come together in the end. But she still wasn't looking at him, and she wasn't talking. "And you're sorry for yelling at me," he offered for her.

"I'm not apologizing for yelling, you were an ass." She looked up seeing the hurt in his eyes before he masked it, and she sighed. Wilting. "I am sorry for making you feel like I didn't want to be with you, or that I was ashamed of you," she said, giving an apology she actually meant. And he was drawn closer. "Because I'm not, and I do."

He knew both of those things but he still liked hearing it, because his mind sometimes got the better of him. So he sat beside her, hip to hip, and tried giving her half of what she always gave him. "You can't do both, that's what's going on isn't it?" She'd been weighing her options, being a Serpent and keeping up with who she'd been before.

Giving a long exhale she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Rebecca called this morning."

"Your step mom?" he asked feeling her nod. It explained why she left so early, but not much else.

Lane released a tired breath. "Someone told her I was a Serpent," she said even though she knew it'd been Tall Boy. "She's flying back this weekend to either take me with her, or sign the papers for me to be emancipated." She took a moment, finding that she was still reeling from that sudden shock and the fact that she still didn't know what to do. "I want to graduate from the high school my dad did," which Sweet Pea knew meant she was staying, "but a scholarship is gonna be my only way out of this town," which meant she was staying but she was leaving him. Because he was right, she couldn't do both. But she came back to same thought that'd been circling for weeks – this is what she wanted, yesterday and today only proved it. "I'd be giving up my entire future for you, and," her voice shook a little as she said things she wasn't ready for, "it's not fair because we're not ready, but I just," she took a breath, feeling his hand on the back of her head, "I don't,"

He quieted her with his mouth over hers, giving her the only answer he had as he pulled her closer. For a while they sat there sharing soft kisses that every so often grew too warm, and it ended with her arms around his shoulders and his around her back as they held each other. "Let's go somewhere," he said not wanting to go back inside, not ready for this moment to pass. But he felt her sigh.

"I've got a lot of homework," she said regretfully.

With his chin on her shoulder he thought about how to keep her tonight. "An hour," he negotiated, feeling her smile against his cheek. "I now have to find something to cover my tattoo and you still need a ring." He leaned back to look at her. "We can stay up as late as it takes you to finish."

She brushed the hair off his forehead knowing how far they'd stretch that hour, and that she was likely to not finish her work. But still she smiled. "Okay," was her soft agreement before he kissed her a last time and they headed to her car.

That hour turned to an hour and a half, and then to dinner, and after they got to her house it turned to sex and then to him holding her a minute longer, and then a minute more. So that by eight she was sitting on her bed surrounded by the work she needed to do while he rifled through her notes wondering what the hell she was learning.

.^.

They found his bike still parked at the bar when they left it, and come next morning Fangs and Toni were sitting alone on the bus. "She must've apologized," Toni said still not over the way she'd treated them yesterday, or rather ignored them.

"Or she told him what was really going on," Fangs added knowing this to be the more likely. He saw her disbelieving look and shrugged. "You think Lane, Lane," he said again for emphasis, "got that worked up over a few posters?"

Toni hated to admit it but he was right, something was obviously bothering her and since it was Lane it had probably been going on for a while. "Hey," they heard behind them as they climbed off the bus. And they turned to see Sweet Pea and Lane walking side by side as he handed her the car key. He was wearing a grey turtle neck and Toni just barely saw the glint of a silver ring around her finger.

"So you're not afraid of being seen with him," Toni commented still trying to feel Lane out, "or us."

Lane stared at her several moments with her brows drawn together before she turned to Sweet Pea. "On that note I'm gonna drop my stuff off then talk to Weatherbee." Reaching a gentle hand to his arm she left them there and headed for her locker. In doing so one of the Vixens tracked her down with a complaint about a Serpent, to which Lane gladly redirected her to someone else because that was no longer her problem. Emptying her bag and only grabbing the things she needed for her first two periods she shut her locker and walked back to the front where the principal's office was.

A loud commotion caught her ear and she walked past his office seeing a wide eyed Veronica standing outside the student lounge. Looking past the doorway Lane saw three Bulldogs to her three boys going at each other's throats. Without thought or hesitation Lane dropped her bag and charged for where Reggie was landing a few well placed hits to Jughead's ribs.

"Lane," Veronica cried trying to grab her, and her eyes only widened further at Lane shoving Reggie hard enough to knock him off balance before she drew her hand back. "Mr Weatherbee!"

…

"You all have a week's detention for fighting," Weatherbee said addressing the five students he'd brought into his office. Not including Veronica who alerted him to the fight, or Lane who was leaning against the wall behind where Jughead stood. "Why are you here Ms Vivian?" he asked, having not seen her involvement.

She looked up at him and shrugged. In the chair across from her Reggie scoffed. "She attacked me."

Weatherbee watched her look at Reggie with her face screwed up before she turned back to address him. "Yeah I slapped him," she said shaking her head as though irritated by the thought of it. Masking the truth beneath an incredulous expression.

"She did slap me," Reggie exclaimed still feeling his cheek burning. "You could've heard that crack on the other side of the school."

"That's enough Mr Mantle," Weatherbee told him. "Lane you're free to go, I still expect to see you after school."

With a curt nod Lane stepped out of his office and waited a little down the hall, having seen the jacket. And as she'd known a lone Jughead marched out scowling. "You took the suspension," she said as he stopped beside her. "Sure you don't wanna talk this through?" she asked knowing Weatherbee wasn't going to give in.

But he shook his head. "I'm not really feeling like talking," he said looking at her calm face. "He was right, that was a hell of a hit." They shared a smile and stepped further against the lockers as more students milled about before first period. "Then again if I remember correctly when we used to play princess and knights you were always the dragon."

She chuckled fondly at that memory of them as kids, realizing that even then she hadn't been soft enough to be a princess. Her arms were crossed as she leaned against the locker facing him, watching his gaze fall to her hand. The ring she wore was of two triangles fit together at their base, but what he noticed more was how visible her tattoo was from the empty centers of both shapes. "You can still see the snake beneath it," she said hoping he'd get it.

But his mind was too caught up in being stripped of his jacket to think about metaphors. So instead he reached a hand to hers and said, "I should go before he decides to give you detention for talking to me."

Lane sighed watching him walk out the door wishing he wasn't so thick headed. Weatherbee wouldn't give in, which meant Jughead was gonna have to.

.^.

"What the hell guys?" Jughead asked the next day when he rounded the corner to the student lounge to see Toni and Sweet Pea wearing school uniforms. Behind them he noticed a few other telling navy polo shirts, all were Serpents.

Toni turned to him, seeing Jughead sans jacket, and gave a derisive smile as she reiterated the speech Weatherbee had given them after school yesterday to justify the uniforms. As if only part of the student body wearing them was really going to help them 'fit in.' Jughead just gotten onboard with leaving his jacket at home, unhappily but he'd done it – this was too far. "Where's Fogarty?" he asked not seeing him in usual place beside Sweet Pea.

"He wouldn't wear the uniform," Sweet Pea answered. "So they got rid of him, suspended him."

"So our choices are conform or be cast out," Jughead said realizing how little power they had. Weatherbee was assimilating them, by the end of this he'd make sure they had nothing left. Jughead almost regretted coming back.

"Feel like talking now?"

Jughead turned to see Lane leaning against the wall beside, donning the same uniform as the rest of them. "He got you too?" he asked, somehow surprised.

Lane rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms in front of her, feeling people in the hall stopping to stare as they'd been doing all morning. "He said I am lying in the bed I made," she said, repeating what Weatherbee told her yesterday when they spoke after school.

"How'd that go?" Toni asked, having not realized she'd gotten a uniform too. Or the fact that Lane didn't really seem to care. Toni realize she might've judged her a bit too quickly.

Lane shrugged hiking the strap of her bag higher. "I told him that was fair." She turned to an awaiting Jughead with a sly grin. "And then I formally resigned from all extracurriculars." She stood there looking proud of herself while Jughead tried to be too upset to laugh at that, and failed because he could imagine the stunned way Weatherbee had watched her leave. And she shrugged again before adding, "he didn't need to know I was already going to."

Shaking his head Jughead stepped toward her, planning to follow her to the library to discuss their next move in fighting this. "He's underestimating you," he said as she stepped back further into the hall, seeing her pursed around a smile. "That's always fun."

"Isn't it though," she said as he stepped around her. Before she turned to leave she looked back to the two that watched them, and raised a finger at Sweet Pea. "I am still very attracted to you," she told him, as she'd told him that morning when she first saw him in the uniform with his hair combed back: and he grinned now as he had then. Tapping Jughead's chest to get his attention they walked off to come up with a plan.

Jughead wanted a more aggressively passive approach, still too riled to enjoy the fine art of the kind of subtly that hid in plain sight. But Lane brought him around, and then they were left with the how. In the end it was Jughead's idea for the club, and as he explained the premise behind the Swords and Serpents he would pitch to Weatherbee Lane nodded like it wasn't the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. She had no doubt it was gonna work, but the gaming nonsense and how involved Jughead seemed to be was a little much for her. "What do you mean you're not helping me pitch it?" Jughead asked as they walked to their next class.

"Don't look at me like that," she told him not appreciating the attitude in either tone or stare. "I'm working on how to get rid of these," she said motioning to the heavy polo she wore. "I have to pick my battles."

Jughead nodded knowing it would serve her better to hold back for now. "You really think you can get Weatherbee to agree to that?" he asked knowing the man was serious. But her brow cocked and he smirked. "Yeah that was a stupid question."

Her smile slowly fell as she noticed a photo that'd been blown up copied and taped to the wall. It's not your job anymore, she told herself as she passed by it. But she stopped when she recognized the shapes she was seeing and stepped closer.

"Who the hell did that?" Jughead asked from close behind her as he looked at the picture. It was of a guy and girl sleeping, him on his side and her behind him with her arm around his waist, both were clearly naked with a sheet haphazardly covering their hips. With a deep frown Jughead looked to Lane, because the quality might've been bad but there weren't many guys at school as tall as Sweet Pea, and from how far down on the bed the girl was lying so that their hips were level the height difference was obvious.

…

"What the hell are you doing?" Sweet Pea demanded when he saw a red haired girl at Lane's locker holding a stack of pictures, like the one balled in his fist.

Ethel looked up at his dark eyes and felt her stomach drop. "I was just, um," she stuttered looking at the innumerous photos that'd been taped to Lane's locker, along with the words _serpent whore_ etched in red. "I was trying to take them down before she saw it," she finally got out.

They'd been taped around the crude writing on hers and the lockers beside it, but he could see empty spaces where paper had once been along with the tape that'd been left when she ripped it off. "Thank you," he told her quietly, uncomfortably.

Ethel nodded as she resumed her efforts, and she made room for him to stand next to her as he started helping. "Who would do this to her?" Ethel asked not understanding it. Yeah it was clear she was hanging with the Serpents but it was Lane, everyone knew her and she knew everyone – she wasn't always the easiest but she didn't deserve this.

Sweet Pea scoffed grabbing one of the pictures so hard it tore. "I know exactly who did this," he seethed. "I'm gonna kill him."

"No you're not," Lane said waiting as they turned to her. They'd gotten all of them but the red-painted words were still there. "And I already saw, he put them up everywhere."

"So what now?" Jughead asked from behind her, having followed her to her locker knowing what they'd find. Right now everyone was looking for a reason to fight, and this was a big one.

Lane shrugged taking one of the pictures from Ethel. It was terrible quality and other than his long body her short one and his dark hair, there weren't any discernable features. "They were already speculating," she said motioning again to the uniform she wore. "Now they know." A thought came to her and she stuck the picture back to her locker above the words, claiming them. And she walked away, squeezing Ethel's arm as a way of thanks, leaving a grinning Sweet Pea to follow.

Halfway through the next period Principal Weatherbee came over the loud speaker directing Lane to his office. With a sigh she complied, and was wholly unsurprised to find Reggie standing beside his desk. "That should be grounds for expulsion," Reggie said pointing at the picture on the desk with a smug smirk.

She knew he meant her being expelled, but she still nodded. "And a full fledged police investigation," she added, pricking his confidence. "Someone broke into my house and took a picture of my boyfriend and I without our knowledge or permission, then spread it around school along with a degrading slur." By the time she'd finished his face had completely fallen, and hiding her well earned victory she turned to where Weatherbee was now standing with a serious expression.

"I was hoping to discuss that with you, Ms Vivian," he told her in a remarkably composed manner. "Given the current strenuous circumstance of the Southside merging with Riverdale High I was hoping to leave the police out of this," he said, and behind him Reggie's face contorted with rage. "We will remove all evidence of this, your locker will be cleaned, an announcement will be made that any discussion of this incident will be met with immediate consequence, and should this photo continue to circulate the person responsible for it will be removed from this school permanently."

Lane blinked at him curiously, realizing he not only knew it was Reggie behind it but that he'd wanted Reggie to know it as well. "I'll agree to everything but the announcement," she said watching his brows raise. "Let them talk." Finding himself both irate and impressed he nodded and held out his hand, and after a moment she shook it. "Thank you," she told him honestly before he excused her.

When she'd gone a scowling Reggie stepped forward. "I saw her put that picture on her own-,"

"If you go near that girl again I will personally make sure the only future you have is wiping tables at pops," he warned, turning on the now quiet boy. "Now get out of my office."

…

Lane passed through the rest of the day the object of not-so-hushed whispered, outright staring, and occasionally a few verbal altercations that ended with whichever Serpents happened to be closest standing at her back. She would've considered it better than she thought, but she never really had a place here. She had never been in this school with these people in this town and ever felt like it was hers, that she cared enough to fight for it. But she had something she'd fight for now.

"Tell me it isn't true."

Lane sighed at Cheryl's dramatic declaration as she stormed into the student lounge, feeling Sweet Pea tensing behind her as Cheryl marched up to her.

"Tell me you're not actually sleeping with one of these,"

"Shh," Lane shushed her raising a hand to her frowning mouth, mostly to keep her from saying something the boy behind her would find offensive. "You're beautiful and I love you."

With a roll of her eyes Cheryl scoffed throwing her hair back. "I'm too disgusted with your current behavior to even consider responding," she told Lane, turning her head away as though to prove it.

"Cher," Lane said in almost sing song voice, waiting as the other girl turned to her pouting. "Your main bitch is back, and she has a plan she needs you for."

"And pray tell why I would ever help you or your heathens?"

A slow smile spread on Lane's face, because she hadn't said no which meant she wanted Lane back enough to listen. "Because, it involves charm and conniving." She wrapped her arms around Cheryl's waist pulling her closer, turning her face so that her forehead was against Cheryl's temple; feeling her give in. "And with the two of us together we could tear this town apart." They stayed like that several short breaths as Cheryl blinked, not giving an answer because they both knew she'd agree and she wasn't ready to yet. "Think about it," Lane told her with a kiss to her cheek, and she held Cheryl's firm gaze before she turned on her heel and left.

Lane turned back to her friends to see them waiting with mirrored looks of wondering. "That was hot," Sweet Pea told her as she stretched an arm across his shoulders to prop herself up.

Toni gave a short laugh shaking her head. "You scare me sometimes," Toni told her. "What exactly are you planning?" she asked, seeing a familiar gleam in her eye. But Lane only smiled.


	17. Chapter 17

At the small stack of papers being dropped on the table in front of him, Fangs looked up seeing Lane standing between where he and Sweet Pea sat. And with a sigh he lowered the cards he was holding and grabbed the folder he'd brought to the Wyrm, pulling out the homework he completed yesterday. "How long are you keeping this up?" he asked stuffing what he'd be doing that night in the now empty folder.

"Til you're back," she told him plainly before turning to the boy who moved to stand beside her.

"I drew a few different logos, you wanna look at them?" Mac asked, his dark hair pulled back into a bun while the sides of his head were shaved.

Lane nodded then turned to where Sweet Pea sat to her left, holding his own cards. "I'm gonna go after this, I'll see you tomorrow," she said with a hand on his shoulder as she bent to kiss his cheek. "Jug," she said pointing to where he sat across the table, and motioned for him to follow.

Jughead set his cards on the table and climbed to his feet, and as he left Fangs looked to a mildly grinning Sweet Pea. That wasn't unusual, he normally smiled when Lane kissed him, what was unusual was the fact that she'd kissed him in front of other people. "Lane doesn't like PDA," Fangs said seeing the way Sweet Pea grit his teeth. "She told you my cards, didn't she?" But Sweet Pea only shrugged as he waited for Fangs to take his turn.

Lane stood behind Mac with her shoulder against him, feeling the hem of the wrap he used to flatten his chest hidden beneath his shirt, and she looked around him as he showed her what he sketched. And Jughead stood behind her looking over her head seeing one with a snake wrapped around a sword. "You asked for help," Jughead said slowly, suggestively.

And Lane rolled her eyes. "I do that occasionally," she said pointing to the one that had caught Jughead's eye. "I like that one."

"Me too," was Jughead's quick agreement as he stepped around her to ask Mac if he could write the name of the club around the logo. With both boys occupied she stepped back turning for the door. "I know you said you were busy," Jughead said calling her back, "but stop by tomorrow and say hi." He saw the way her eyes hardened irritably. "We talked about you being more active in little things, you can't just act like a Serpent when you're needed."

"Yeah, if you're gonna be our advisor you need to act like it," Mac said turning around to face her.

Looking between the two she huffed and mumbled an agreement before she headed for the door. "Leaving already?" Toni asked surprised, for the second day in a row, that Lane hadn't had a single drink.

Lane turned to where Toni came to a stop with a little more space between them than normal. "I've got homework," Lane answered.

"You've been saying that a lot lately," Toni said realizing the space between them was her own fault. For a while the only thing Lane had to do was be with them, Toni wasn't used to Lane being busy and it was very apparent Lane didn't like to sit still.

"I have a lot of homework," Lane replied in a serious manner. She watched Toni nod now unsure what to say, and she sighed. "Look, I don't need an apology anymore more than either of us want to give one. So," she stepped closer to where Toni stood, "I'm fine if you are."

With a small smile Toni closed the distance between them. "You know you can be really easy to get along with when you wanna be."

Lane shrugged offhanded knowing what kind of person she was. "It's been said before but I think you might've forgotten so I'll say it again; I'm not good at being friends," she said hearing Toni snort. "And I'll probably never invite you over, but if you wanted to hang out there aren't many reasons I'd say no."

Toni thought on that, hearing the tiny offer somewhere in her tone. "Do you wanna hang out tonight?" she finally asked.

"Sure," Lane responded with a+ twitch of her shoulder. "And if you wanna stay the night we could do our homework together."

Her brows drew together as she followed Lane outside. "You actually mean it when you say you're doing homework? That's really all you do?"

Unlocking the car Lane turned to back to her with an innocent expression. "I do Sweet Pea when he's there."

And Toni laughed wondering why she was surprised.

…

Jughead had just finished explaining to the others what the Swords and Serpents really was, a way for them to hide in plain sight, when the door opened. They all turned to see Lane holding a stack of flashcards in her hands. "I stopped by, I said hi, and I'm going to my study group." She said all this in a familiar bored tone without looking up from her note cards.

"It's the first week of school, how do you already have a test?" one of the Serpents asked.

Under his breath Sweet Pea hissed, "don't ask that."

Lane fixed the boy with a heavy stare seeing him swallow. "We are on very different academic levels," she informed him and turned for the door, her head once more bowed as she flipped over a card to see she'd been right.

"Before you leave," Jughead said waiting as she unhappily turned back around to face him, "why don't you tell them your plan to get rid of the uniforms."

This was the first they were hearing of it and they all visibly perked up, understanding now why Lane hadn't been apart of forming this club. "I'm gonna convince Weatherbee to let us wear street clothes again," she told them simply. "I just need one more piece, and she will fall into place," she looked at her watch, "in an hour and a half."

Thinking that through Jughead remembered the strange conversation that took place the day before. "Cheryl?" he asked wondering why Lane needed her. "What happens in an hour and a half?"

"Our study group ends," she told him.

He still didn't fully understand her plan but he appreciated her confidence, but he sighed when she turned on her heel and left because one minute wasn't what he meant when he told her to stop by. "See Fangs, even Lane doesn't like the uniforms." Which is what Jughead told Fangs yesterday when he'd told him his own plan.

But Fangs chuckled now as he had then, and he held up a finger before pulling out his phone. Not long after the door was yanked open again and Lane stood with her phone in hand looking at Fangs sternly. "Don't think I'm not counting the seconds."

"Oh I know you are baby girl," he told her before motioning to Jughead. "Tell him why you don't like the uniforms."

She turned to Jughead looking only mildly perturbed. "I've been asking for these since I started at this school, and he now gives them to not even half the student body. And look how nice we look," she said nudging her head to where the group sat facing where Jughead stood at the front desk. "I swear he's gonna agree to school-wide uniforms to start the year after I graduate." She crossed her arms in front of her looking very near pouting as she glanced down at her watch. "And that's thirty seconds," she said before marching back out of the door. Jughead tried calling her back but he was only given a distant no, and he turned to a proud looking Fangs because he was the only one who could make Lane do that.

Down to a T Lane's plan was coming together. An hour and a half later their small study group packed their things and headed out, and yet Cheryl still sat at the head of the table in the library with Lane on her right. She'd gone back and forth all day on whether or not she wanted to help Lane, but it was sitting next to her here feeling her leg against hers that finally did Cheryl in. "Say I had a lapse in judgment," Cheryl started when they were alone, "what did you have in mind?"

Biting back a smile Lane answered, "verbally opposing Weatherbee."

"Color me intrigued," Cheryl said finally looking at those familiar sharp green eyes, that were somehow softer than she remembered. They'd teamed up a number of times in the past, and so far it always ended in their favor. "What's in it for me?" she asked, not seeing a benefit to helping the scum dirtying up their pristine school. At Lane's brief hesitation Cheryl laughed, catching on quickly. "Oh dear Lane, your time with them is proof of their idiocy. They must've rubbed off on you for you to ever think you could ask me for a favor without owing me something in return." She slung her purse over her shoulder and, while still laughing to herself, stood to leave.

"I'll tell you everything," Lane offered, because really, if she was going to tell someone it would be this girl who had always seemed as though one half of her.

Her red brows rose and her mouth smiled cruelly. "Secrets, Lane, really? You can do better than," she paused seeing Lane slip the ring off her finger, "that," she finished as her mind caught up to the tattoo she was seeing. And the implications that it brought.

When Cheryl's widened eyes finally found hers again Lane nodded. "Everything," Lane told her again. "Except for a name, that's not me being secretive I just won't be responsible for the target it puts on your back." It was enough to wet her appetite and she watched Cheryl take a breath trying for control.

"The worst thing," Cheryl said. "Tell me the worst thing, no details just a simple statement and I'll know whether or not I'll agree to this."

"I killed two people."

The air stilled her lungs and she blinked at Lane's empty face now needing to know everything. Which was Lane's plan. "You came prepared."

"Don't I always?" Lane posed instead.

Cheryl considered that for a brief moment before nodding. "Something tells me this is going to be a long night," she said, finding this familiar territory. "Mommy will be so happy to see you, you were always their favorite." Cheryl remembered the many times her father had commented on Lane the numerous times she'd been over, about how she was a girl that got things done.

"I've always hated your family," Lane told her as she stood grabbing her bag. "As far as I'm concerned you are the pride and joy." It left Cheryl to follow after her with a small smile that had her eventually reaching to hold Lane's hand.

And they ended, as they always did, in the large tub in the master bath sharing a bottle of wine Lane found on the rack. "So what's the plan?" Cheryl finally asked as she kicked her legs slowly through the water. She'd listened to Lane's sordid tale finding herself both heartbroken at Lane's sad admission that she was the reason for her father's death and impressed by her ruthless resolve – and though Cheryl made no comment on it, either to Lane or herself, she'd been something close to touched at hearing Sweet Pea's devotion to her. And whether or not this helped Lane's ruffians, Cheryl knew if she turned Lane down now she'd never get her back.

Pouring herself another glass Lane sat back enjoying the sweet smell of whatever Cheryl had poured in the bath. "Well," she said taking a quick gulp, "I represent us, you represent the Northside, and together we are putting aside our differences so that we may coexist as one community in our school."

When their eyes met they broke off into a fit of laughter because it was a load of crap, regardless of whether Weatherbee would eat it up. "I see now why you came to me," Cheryl said watching Lane tip her glass as though to toast before downing what was left. And then she poured her fourth glass of wine, emptying the bottle. "I think you might have a problem," she commented softly.

Swallowing what she'd filled her mouth with Lane nodded. "Yeah, FP would be really mad if he saw me drinking." When he saw how much she drank he'd gone to her house and threatened to tear the place apart if she didn't tell him where she was hiding her last bottle. And she looked at the wine in her glass filled with a sudden hatred for it, and herself as she still took another drink.

Cheryl sat quietly next to her with the understanding that these people were taking care of Lane, the way a family should have been. So Cheryl gently pulled the glass out of her hand and set it on the far end of the tub so Lane couldn't reach it.

With a sigh Lane let her empty hand slip beneath the water and sat back miserably as she continued dancing around a conversation she didn't want to have. And if she didn't like boy wonder before she certainly didn't like him now that he made this her responsibility. "Archie told me what happened."

Cheryl blinked at even the thought of the name of that horrible boy, and she quickly turned away. It wasn't Archie's to tell, and with her mind on thoughts she didn't want she downed what was left in Lane's glass. "Why?" was all Cheryl could trust herself to say without her voice trembling.

"Because I know."

Glancing at Lane Cheryl saw a familiar pain, and she bowed her head feeling her chin quiver. And with a sigh Lane gathered her in her arms feeling her tears slip down her neck into the water as Cheryl finally felt safe enough to let it out.

.^.

"You were gone when I woke," Cheryl said darkly as she stood beside where Lane was leaning against the side of her locker as she slowly stuffed her things inside. "Am I not good enough for you?" She'd told Lane in detail what happened with Nick St Clair, Lane held her until she'd fallen asleep. Cheryl had woken that morning having never felt so alone. "Like hell I'm helping you now."

Lane nodded having known she'd be mad. "If you remind me after school I've got an unopened bottle of wine in my trunk that I took from your house."

She paused at that, watching the way Lane raised a hand to wipe her clammy brow. And she suddenly understood. "Oh Lane."

She'd woken FP up after midnight drunk enough she could barely stand, holding her third bottle of wine telling him she didn't know if she could stop. Once he'd calmed her down he called Sweet Pea to take her, amazed at the boy's gentleness with her.

Cheryl saw her defeat and sighed wrapping her arms around the other girl hugging her fiercely.

"I've already thrown up three times this morning, please don't make it a fourth."

"Too bad," Cheryl told her, "I love you even if you are a drunk." She felt Lane smile and she pressed a chaste kiss to her cold cheek. "I know you and you refuse to let anything get you down, so when are we ambushing Principal Weatherbee?"

Straightening herself, wincing at the bright overhead lights and the loud voices that all seemed to yell, she closed her locker and rubbed at the ache she could feel behind her eyes. "I'm already scheduled to meet with him after school."

"Perfect," Cheryl said squeezing her arm. "I'll find you after last period. Don't forget to drink, and try to eat something," she said brushing Lane's hair back off her damp forehead. "I'm gonna go, your behemoth is here."

Sweet Pea stopped in front of where an exhausted looking Lane stood with her back to the lockers, realizing this had been part of her problem this week. She hadn't told anyone, not even him, and what was worse is no one noticed. Not even him. So he held out the Gatorade he'd gotten for her, along with the advil he'd taken from Toni.

She swallowed the pills and stepped to him resting her head against his chest feeling his arms come around her, almost wishing she agreed when he suggested they skip today. But they had shit to do, or at least she did. "I don't deserve you," she mumbled quietly.

"Not a chance," he agreed kissing the top of her head. At the loud trill of the bell he held his hand over her ear trying to muffle it. "Come on," he urged gently, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as he led her through the hall. Neither of them noticed the way people stared, or if they did notice then they didn't care.

…

Come end of the day when everyone had either left or gone to their after school activities, Principal Weatherbee wrenched his door open to usher the two girls out of his office. But he was stopped short at the sight of every uniformed Southsider standing in the hall waiting, and he smoothed his jacket taking a steadying breath. "As of next week you will no longer be required to wear school uniforms so long," he raised his voice over the quick victorious cries, "as you wear school appropriate attire. I will not tolerate any gang related activity or apparel in this school. Is that clear?" They all gave some form of an affirmative, willing or reluctant, and he turned fixing Lane with a heavy stare before returning to his office.

Most of them ambled off ready to enjoy the weekend, to celebrate their victory. But Jughead turned to Cheryl almost impressed. "Thank you for doing this."

"I didn't do it for you, street urchin," she promptly informed him before pointing a finger at Sweet Pea. "Take care of her, you won't like what I'll do to you if you don't."

Fangs kept an arm across Sweet Pea forcing him back as Cheryl left. "You two make a lot of sense," he told Lane, who was pressing her lips together to keep from smiling.

Before anyone else could say anything to rile Sweet Pea further Toni chimed in with, "this is a cause for celebration." She knew Lane would be down, the girl never turned down a drink – though she had several times that week, which was odd.

"No," Sweet Pea told her, and a now pouting Fangs. "We're getting a movie, picking up dinner, and then going home."

They already felt like they hadn't really seen Lane all week, and Fangs was trying to come up with how to tell Sweet Pea he couldn't hog her that wouldn't end in him being hit. "Yours or hers?" Toni asked planning to crash it.

"He means you're not invited," Lane said as she moved with him toward the door. "What were thinking about for dinner?" she asked as he opened the door for her.

Stepping with her outside he slung an arm around her shoulders pulling her against him, feeling her hand on his back as she leaned into him. "Pops."

She nodded considering that, and her still queasy stomach. "A milkshake sounds kinda good," she said finding she was starving.

"Your puking ass is only getting soup."

She looked up at him with very unhappy eyes, which he boldly met. "I haven't thrown up since I tried to eat lunch." She growled a sigh, having made his argument for him. "Fine." They walked to her car and he stopped on the passenger's side standing half in front of her so that she was forced to stop too, and he held out his hand. With a huff she pulled the keys from her bag and gave them to him, and she stood with her arms crossed looking up at his almost sweet face. "I really like you," she told him with stark, monotoned, honesty.

It curled the corner of his mouth and he brought a hand to her cheek. "I like you too," he said running his fingers under her chin before lightly shoving her face away making her smile.

…

After dinner, which Lane threw up on the drive home, and about halfway through the movie Sweet Pea laid across the couch with her stretched out on top of him feeling her body relax as she fell asleep. He gathered his arms tighter around her, looking at the top of her head and the tip of her nose as she breathed steadily against him, before he turned back to the movie.

She shot up suddenly blinking blearily as she turned to the window. "Someone just pulled up," she said catching herself on the back of the couch as the room spun.

He was on his feet and after her in a flash grabbing her waist as she moved to the window and saw there was in fact a car parked beside hers in the driveway. It was too dark out now to see anything as they climbed out. "Wait," he said too late to catch more than air as she hurried for the door.

But Lane had seen a glimpse of something familiar and quickly pulled open the door and started down the driveway. "You're a day early," Sweet Pea heard Lane say as she walked around to the trunk.

Now he understood, and he waited in the house wondering if he needed to call Fangs to get him. The original plan had Rebecca coming in after dinner tomorrow, which meant Lane would be home to get her, talk to her, and depending Rebecca's response Sweet Pea would meet her Sunday. The plan was shot to hell now, and he shuffled on his feet hearing their soft voices coming up the drive. Lane came through first holding the door open, and behind her Sweet Pea saw a strikingly beautiful woman wearing a headscarf. And he cleared his throat awkwardly when she caught him staring. "I'll take your bag upstairs," he offered, really just wanting to be out of the room.

Lane said no the same time Rebecca said, "that's sweet of you." So he stepped forward taking her suitcase and excused himself up the stairs.

Lane watched him leave her and she turned back seeing Rebecca was smiling with a faint mischievous look in her dark eyes. "He's handsome," she told Lane seeing her rub her brow the way she did when she was uncomfortable. "And you look sick, you're not pregnant are you?"

"No," Lane told her with an almost violent shake of her head. "That's not a question." Although she didn't correct her, because Lane figured pregnant was better than a minor alcoholic who relapsed after three days.

Rebecca nodded satisfied with her assuredness, Lane was nothing if not smart, but she was pale and her hands shook very slightly. "Make sure to come down, love, I'd like to formally meet you," she called up the stairs before she passed Lane and headed for the kitchen.

He met Lane at the bottom of the steps and they shared a morose look before reluctantly moving to the kitchen table. "It's nice to meet you ma'am," he said holding out his hand.

She shook it with a smile bidding him the same before she turned to Lane. "Did you drink everything while I was gone?" she asked, having gone through every cupboard to find nothing.

With her lips pressed together Lane shook her head. "FP threw everything out so I wouldn't."

"Good man, that one," Rebecca commented as she instead got a glass of water and joined them at the table. "I'll want to talk to him too. Now, you made yourself clear you don't want to come with me. I understand that, we'll have to discuss a few things. Several actually. But we can save that for tomorrow when we've both gotten a good night's sleep." She said all of this simply and matter of fact, so similar to Lane's mannerisms that Sweet Pea almost smiled: if he didn't find her as intimidating as he used to find Lane. "But I would like to know your thoughts on living arrangements when I sell the house."

"I'm viewing a trailer tomorrow," Lane answered before Sweet Pea could ask why the house was being sold. She'd already planned for that, Rebecca was permanently leaving the country there was no reason for her to keep the house. "Which I'll rent until I can afford an apartment."

"Then why not stay with me?" Sweet Pea asked.

She placed her hand on his arm to quiet him. "We'll talk about that when we go to bed," she told him seeing the way Rebecca smiled faintly at the two of them.

There was a deep familiarity between them, something that went beyond typical high school lust. "And a job?" Rebecca prompted.

"I start tomorrow," Lane replied.

Rebecca smiled seeing Lane had gone through everything, not that Rebecca would expect anything else. "It's been a very long day, and I would like to shower and go to sleep. So I'll call it a night. I'll go by the attorney's office and get the paperwork to make arrangements."

"I already did, it's in your room."

Rebecca smiled at that, not at all surprised, and nodded as she stood and bent to kiss Lane's brow. "I'll see you both in the morning."

They waited hearing her feet on the stairs before the door to the master bedroom was shut and the shower was turned on. "She reminds me of you," Sweet Pea said as they continued sitting at the table.

"I'll take that as a compliment," she said having always liked Rebecca. But she turned to him, realizing her hand was still on his arm. "Your trailer is too small for both of us and we're not ready to live together."

He nodded seeing her point and agreeing with it, even just the two of them it was more comfortable in this house than the trailer. But with school she'd be working a part time job, it'd take her well over a year if not more to save up enough and then she'd been thinking about college. "What if we got an apartment?" he offered thinking they might be able to do it, the two of them.

Reaching a hand to brush the hair off his forehead she let her fingertips trail along his cheek. "I could possibly be convinced," she answered without really answering.

He grabbed her hand kissing her knuckles. "So you think we're ready for an apartment?"

"No," she told him with a soft smile. "Either way it'll take time, we'd know better then whether we should live together." They sat beside each other hand in hand with a warm look in their eyes as he kissed her again.

Early the next morning Rebecca was woken by their quiet voices and she followed it back to the kitchen to see them both dressed. "This uniform fits you better than the one at the shop," Sweet Pea said with his hands on her waist, enjoying the old fashioned waitress dress.

Lane turned to him trying not to smile but she failed when she saw the way he was looking at her, and she rose to the tips of her toes to reach his mouth. Rebecca stood for a moment watching them, seeing Lane happier than she'd been since her father died. But Lane caught sight of her by the stairs and she pulled away whispering something to Sweet Pea. "Don't look at me," Rebecca told him when he turned.

His brows drew together as Rebecca turned away, but Lane's hand on his cheek turned back around to face her. "She means it," Lane told him. "She isn't wearing her hijab." She saw he didn't really understand so she mouthed scarf seeing it finally register in his eyes. "I'm gonna drop him off at home and then head to the diner. I'll meet you back here when I'm done." She waited for Rebecca's okay before she went back upstairs, before Lane ushered Sweet Pea out of the house.

…

"You look better," FP said when she came in the diner wearing the standard yellow uniform. "How you feeling?"

"As better as I look," was her smart reply.

He clapped her shoulder before leading her around the counter to where Pops was waiting for her. She was started cleaning counters, but it became very apparent she was too meticulous and spent more time than they had to spare getting everything the way she liked it. So she took orders, which she was very good at documenting, however Pops was left muttering about her terrible bedside manner because she was very curt and grew impatient too quickly when she asked if someone needed another minute and they assured her they were ready and yet continued to stare at the menu undecided.

"Your girl gets one more chance," Pops told FP, who'd asked him to give her a shot. "Don't give me that look. I've known this girl since she was too little to climb the stools, now she's real sweet under the right circumstance and you and I both know this is not it."

Unfortunately the next person to sit in her area was a mean boy with an even meaner smirk. "Hey Lane," Reggie said looking up at her.

"What do you want to drink?" she asked refusing to acknowledge his greeting.

But his teeth glistened as he smiled. "Aren't you forgetting to ask how my day was?" He was goading her, wanting some kind of reaction since her last one was underwhelming.

"You called me a whore," she said slamming her hand on the table startling Reggie as she leaned over him, "and then put up pictures of me naked around school. So I don't care to know whether you have a pulse let alone know how your day's been." She held his eye several long moments seeing him grow increasingly uncomfortable before she walked behind the counter and untied her apron handing it to Pops. "Thank you for the time and the opportunity. This went about how we all thought it would," she said having known within an hour she wasn't cut out for this. "I'll wash the uniform and get it back to you."

With a hand on her arm Pops bid her good luck and a good day, and she walked past FP on her way out. "You know what this means?" he asked turning to follow her.

"Yeah I know," she snapped not happy about it. Regardless whether or not it made the most sense, and had always made the most sense for her, she'd been too stubborn to accept it.

Which is how she found herself standing in the back office of the garage with her arms crossed refusing to look at Tall Boy as he stood beside her. "I'll take the job if you're still offering," she said, though with her grumbled voice it sounded more a statement than a request.

But he still nodded, forcing his hands to stay at his sides instead of reach for her. "I am," he told her. "You wanna sit, we can go over hours and pay?"

Lane finally sat and looked at him, in a stubborn dragging her feet kind of way. But an hour later they'd come up with what worked and she was climbing onto a stool at the Whyte Wyrm in front of where Toni was working behind the bar. Seeing her pitiful expression Toni poured her a shot and slid it to her.

She blinked at it for a while like it might jump up and bite her, and looking like it was physically hurting her Lane slid it back. And she glanced up at Toni with eyes that seemed very close to tears and said, "I'll take a jack and coke. Hold the jack, and fill it with sadness."

With wide eyes Toni looked from where Lane now sat with her head in her hands to where Sweet Pea was coming up beside her wrapping her in his arms. "What did I miss?"

"I'm proud of you," he said into Lane's ear before kissing her temple and squeezing her tighter. He staid like that for a minute feeling her sit up more and leaned against him. "Back to the shop?"

"Shut up."

Sweet Pea grinned and said, "and that's why you'll never cut it as a waitress."

Taking a breath she turned and looked at his smug face finding she wanted to both slap and kiss him. "How's your job search going?" she asked knowing he'd probably only hung out with Fangs before coming here.

Still looking proud of himself he shrugged. "Well Pops now has an opening," he said and leaned back catching her hand before she couldn't hit him. And he laughed catching the other and stared at her as she tried not to smile.

"Whoa," Toni breathed catching sight of the woman that stepped into the bar. "You were right, she is gorgeous."

They both turned to see Rebecca at the door looking around before she spotted Lane, or at least Sweet Pea who she guessed Lane was with. "When are we meeting the realtor?" Rebecca asked when she made her way over to them.

"Not a realtor," Lane told her, "and if we leave in ten minutes we'll get there about the time he said he'd be there." She trailed off at the end as her eyes followed Rebecca's left hand as she fixed the delicate material over her hair. "That is a ring," she said too stunned to come up with anything else.

And Rebecca smiled, though it fell quickly, as she twisted at the band holding an impressive diamond. "That's something else I wanted to discuss with you. I met someone. Obviously," she added lowering her hand as she sat on a stool beside Lane.

Lane nodded thinking that through. "Well we've got ten minutes for you to tell me about him and for me to come up with every reason why he'll never be good enough for you."

"Lane," Toni scolded. "You don't know that, he could be great." She turned to the older woman and held out her hand introducing herself.

"That's a lovely name," Rebecca said shaking her hand. "But in Lane's defense, when her father and I told her we were marrying she told us very seriously," she motioned to Lane, "at seven years old," she further explained, "that he would never be good enough for me."

Toni smiled looking between the two seeing the warm way they sat together, like old friends. "So, what does he look like?" she asked because she knew Lane wouldn't. And both girls leaned in to look at Rebecca's phone to see the older English gentleman with jet black hair and baby blue eyes. "Look at that jaw," she exclaimed. "Like a modern day Adonis."

"What's he like in conversation?" Lane asked making Toni roll her eyes.

But Rebecca smiled. "He's very intelligent, and thoughtful, a bit soft spoken. But he's a good man."

This seemed to please Lane and she sat back, still feeling Sweet Pea behind her. "When's the wedding?"

"Summer, so I could fly you out," Rebecca answered. "You can even bring a guest," she said looking to Sweet Pea briefly, who sat with an arm around the back of Lane's chair as though he were still holding her.

Lane nodded thinking that sound good, remembering their wedding and how beautiful she'd looked. More beautiful than any princess, that's what Lane had told her. "Are you wearing a traditional red saree?" she asked hearing the heavy breath Rebecca released.

"I considered it," Rebecca told her. "But I didn't want it to be difficult."

"Well I'm not going if you're not wearing one."

Rebecca blinked looking at Lane, who sat staring at the counter. "Even though I wore one when I married your father?"

She dug her nail into the wood feeling too much for this woman, and the bittersweet memories that had resurfaced. "He'd think you'd look beautiful too," she said refusing to look up.

And Rebecca sat swallowing the emotion that threatened to fill her eyes as she placed her hand over Lane's. "We should go," she said in a forcedly calm tone.

"Yup," came Lane's quick response as they both slid off the stools.

"Are we not gonna talk about what just happened?" Toni asked thinking this was too big a conversation to just avoid.

But both Lane and Rebecca gave a short, "nope," as they walked out of the bar.


	18. Chapter 18

She showed up suddenly at Fangs' trailer still wearing the standard grey uniform, having been called into Tall Boy's office before she clocked out. "Get out, I'll tell you when you can come back," she told Fangs, her hard tone not offering to be refused.

So he left, grumbling, and she stood with her arms crossed and her eyes on the floor deep in thought. "First day not go well?" Sweet Pea asked trying to gauge the situation.

"When did Tall Boy offer you a job? And why didn't you tell me about it?" she asked looking up at him. When she met with Tall Boy after work he'd slipped in for her to ask Sweet Pea if he'd thought about whether he wanted to work there.

This was a problem, only Sweet Pea shook his head not understanding why. "After you turned him down. You know, between the two of us I'm the one who actually knows cars. And I didn't tell you because apparently us working together is a bad idea." He threw himself on to the couch waiting for whatever excuse she was now coming up with, that he inevitably would agree with because he liked her too much to stay mad.

It meant Tall Boy offered Sweet Pea a job the same day he learned Lane needed one, because she was staying and his plan had been for Rebecca to take her. But Lane saved these thoughts, realizing where Sweet Pea's mind had gone and she sighed before sitting on his lap with her arms around his shoulders. "Working together would help us decide if moving in is right for us. It's a different, closed-environment, scenario to test our patience."

"You mean my patience."

"I might be worse than you on that front," Lane told him seeing his mouth purse as he finally came around to him not being the issue. Which was always his first thought, as if he expected her to realize one day she didn't want him. "Also, you're butt will look very cute in the jumpsuit."

With a smile he wrapped his arms around her pulling her further against his chest, knowing she was very serious about the last part. But he was left thinking of what the actual problem was. "What's going on with Tall Boy?"

"I don't know," she answered hugging him tight enough to call it clinging. "He called Rebecca so I'd leave and now he's offering us jobs, and asking where I'm gonna live." She took a breath wishing this was easier, wishing just the sight of his face didn't hurt her.

Running a hand along her back he continued thinking, realizing she'd known from the beginning that Tall Boy was the one who called her step mother, on top of her refusal to have anything to do with him. "You ever gonna tell me what happened?" he asked only knowing when she stopped trusting Tall Boy, she never told him why.

But her answer was to knock on the window, and they heard loud stomping coming up the stairs before Fangs burst in exclaiming: "This is my trailer, you know." But he paused at the way she sat on Sweet Pea's lap with her arms around him and her head on his shoulder. "Who did this to you, I'll kill him," he said coming around the other side of her and throwing his arms around them both.

Sweet Pea grumbled about her being his girlfriend, but Lane smiled with a hand holding the back of his head and the other wrapped around the arm Fangs slung around her. Her boys, she loved them so. "I'm okay," she said patting Fangs' arm before she climbed to her feet. "I'm having dinner with Rebecca to go over everything, and tomorrow after work I'm meeting with Veronica to help put together this Pickens Day thing she's forcing me to help with." She grumbled the last bit, having received that phone call earlier today and she'd never gotten an answer as to how Veronica got her number. "So I'll only see you guys at school," she said pulling on her shoes.

"He didn't tell you?"

Sweet Pea's eyes closed in defeat the same time Lane turned to face a now guilty Fangs, who realized how stupid a question that was. "Tell me what?" she demanded feigning calm.

He didn't even look at Sweet Pea before answering, because Sweet Pea was as scared of her as Fangs was and when she wanted an answer she was gonna get one. "We'll be at basketball practice," he answered in a small voice.

She nodded taking that in stride, and looked to her silent boyfriend, "that's now two things you haven't told me." She turned to Fangs. "Is there a third?"

"Picken's day," he answered quickly. "The Lodges asked us to work security, we obviously said no." He watched her settle back and he glanced at Sweet Pea, who was glaring at the ceiling, and looked once more at Lane. "I'll see myself out," he said before hurrying outside.

With a sharp exhale Sweet Pea rose and moved to stand in front of her knowing she wasn't happy: one thing she could be fine with, but three was too much even for her. "You had a lot going on," he explained reaching for her hand, seeing her hard eyes as she looked up at him. "I was waiting until things settled, I didn't wanna add more to your plate." He jumped at her smacking his arm and he raised a hand half expecting her to hit him again. "Fine, I didn't think you'd care," was his growled admission.

"Do you like basketball?" she asked him.

"Yes."

"Well then I care," she told him, watching the way he paused to process that before his face softened. "And Picken's Day is a load of crap anyways."

He felt so much for her in that moment, and he stepped to her tipping her head back and kissed her firmly. And he pulled back looking at her warm green eyes, and suddenly 'I like you' didn't feel like enough. But he wasn't a soft enough boy for that so instead he said, "if I knew I'd be spending the next two nights alone I would've met you at my trailer."

Her face split with a smile as she laughed and she stepped back putting distance between them. "Even with a clear schedule, babe, you weren't getting lucky today," she told him still chuckling. "And now that I'm thinking about it, I'm not gonna be in the mood Tuesday night either." With a smile made of contrived sympathy she turned for the door planning to go home and shower before she and Rebecca went to dinner.

She didn't make it a step before he had a hold of her arm and was pulling her back to him as he bent to kiss her harder, and he waited until he felt her sigh as she started to give in before he pulled back. And he stood staring down at her with his hand under her chin and his thumb dragging along her reddened lips. "We'll see if I can convince you," he said tracing the smile that formed on her mouth.

He'd go about it one of two ways; highly inappropriate or incredibly sweet. She liked both, but she could play too. "You should know, I hate basketball," she told him watching his brows draw together as he thought that through and came out realizing what she was saying was that she was willing to like it for him. She watched that warm his face in a way she hadn't seen before, and she grinned when he bent to kiss her again. "And that," she said with hand covering his mouth, "is how easily I can make you want it more than me."

His eyes were slow to harden as he caught on, but by then she'd kissed his cheek and was opening the door. "I'm gonna make you pay for that," he called hearing her laugh as she told Fangs goodbye.

Fangs waited until she was in the car and pulling away before he walked back into his trailer and looked to where Sweet Pea still stood. "She got over that quick."

Sweet Pea nodded, not remembering now what they'd been doing before she came. "She usually does," he agreed.

"You got lucky with her."

With a breath of a laugh Sweet Pea shook his head before giving a quiet, "yeah."

.^.

She opened the door with a pretty smile wearing a smart blouse a pleated skirt, and her signature string of pearls around her neck. But Veronica's face froze at the sight of Lane standing in the hall in a leather jacket looking rougher than she remembered. "Come in," Veronica said trying to save face. "I'm so glad you could ma-"

"How long are your parents out?" Lane was quick to ask cutting her off.

Her smile strained as she turned for the table she'd set up, hoping to get the bigger details finalized to show her parents. "They're getting dinner, usually they're out for a couple of hours. At this time," she looked at her phone, "we should have over an hour." This was Lane's only stipulation, that her parents wouldn't be home.

Lane made a note of what time it was, planning to leave twenty minutes to the hour not willing to take chances. And then she turned to what Veronica had set up, seeing her notes for vendors, community based activities, children's activities. "We're gonna change some things," Lane told her, feeling Veronica come up beside her. "But good start."

Veronica beamed. "High praise."

"Don't let it go to your head."

She straightened her face and nodded. "Right," she responded.

Together they went down the list; Lane telling her which places severed events and they decided on Beljam's, Lane provided the numbers to both the people who would make maple syrup apples and popcorn, Lane designed a flyer for the bake off that Veronica would print and put up around town – Lane begrudgingly took one to put on the Southside, per Veronica's suggestion – and they'd just started in on activities for the kids when a key was fit into the lock on the door behind them.

"They haven't been gone an hour," Veronica said reaching a hand to Lane's shoulder as she passed her to greet her parents at the door.

Hearing their voices at her back Lane pulled out her phone and texted Sweet Pea; _I need you here_.

"Your father wanted to have dinner as a family tonight, tell me you haven't eaten already," Hermione asked Veronica as they set the take out bags on the table.

Veronica told her no and turned to see her father standing over where Lane sat, and the two shared a very heavy look imbued with loathe and unease. "I invited Lane over," she said hurrying back to the living room. "She's been helping me finalize some of the details so we can start setting up for Pickens Day. I was hoping to have it all done before you got back."

Hermione came over holding her hand out to the pretty, if not tired, girl. "How wonderful. Oh Hiram you should have seen the homecoming. We are in very good hands."

"Thank you," Lane said still looking up at Hiram, who continued looking down at her. He'd gotten a call from Andre telling him the Vivian girl was there, he must've had them turn back immediately and used a family dinner as a cover. "Since I'm now intruding, Veronica I'll talk to you at school tomorrow," she said being the first to break eye contact as she turned to the other girl. "Here are the numbers for balloons and face paint," she said handing Veronica the paper she'd written them on before she grabbed her jacket and purse.

"You of course will be attending Pickens Day," Hiram said half stepping so that she was forced to go around him as she tried to leave.

She stopped behind the couch and her pale eyes flicked to his holding his dark stare. "As I told Veronica I'll be working. Have a wonderful evening," she said looking around him to smile at his wife, who smiled kindly in return.

Hiram seethed at finding this girl in his home with his daughter, let alone her having the audacity to tell him no. But he watched her, as she stood hidden from his wife and daughter's view, drop her phone on the carpet before she headed for the door.

"She's very driven," Hermione said looking over their notes, pleased with what they'd come up with. But beyond that, she knew Hiram would be as well. "How did you get her to agree, I was told she no longer ran the program?"

Veronica smiled guiltily. "I went above her head to Principal Weatherbee, she's with the Serpents and since they turned down our offer to work security this way they can't say they weren't apart of it."

Hermione, though surprised at hearing such a promising young woman had fallen on the wrong side of the tracks, looked proudly at her daughter. "Very clever," she told her. "But I understand now why she seemed displeased."

"Is this yours, mija?"

Veronica turned to her father seeing him holding a phone. "Lane must've dropped it," she said coming around the couch to take it. "I'll run it down to her."

"Let me," Hiram said a little too quickly. But he smiled, looking more to his wife. "I was never good at being told no." He touched Veronica's cheek before he moved to the door. "I'll see if I can't win her over."

When he'd turned his back to them his pleasant face fell to one of restrained fury as he closed the door behind him and turned to face where Lane was waiting for him in the hallway. He stepped to her holding out her phone, and they staid that way for several long seconds sharing a look that spoke more hatred than their mouths ever could. But Lane once more was the one to turn her back on him as she made her way to the elevator, and then they were standing side by side as the doors slowly closed.

"I hear your step mother's in town," he said staring at the metal doors feeling the lift slowly creeping lower. "A smarter girl would've taken the opportunity to flee." He turned to her with a cruel smile, and met her blank face lit by burning eyes. "Of course I have a hand in everything that happens to you," he told her feeling the small jolt of the elevator as it reached the lobby. "The last time we spoke you showed the only card you had to play," the doors slid open, "consider this me calling your bluff."

Lane stepped out of the elevator, catching sight of Sweet Pea sitting on the bench by the door as the guard they'd knocked out last time watched him closely. And she turned slamming her hands on either side of the doors so that they wouldn't close as she fixed Hiram Lodge with a daring look. "I don't need to kill your daughter," she said seeing that in some way amused him. That was the bluff he was calling. But Lane told him with restrained severity, "you can hire a hundred guns to shoot a hundred bullets, one of them is bound to hit its target. What you need to be certain of is that bullet reaching me before I turn your daughter against you." She watched his expression harden, because of course she had more than one card to play. "Death is permanent Mr Lodge," she said lowering her arms and stepping backwards into the lobby, "I can do a lot worse. It's your call." And right before the doors closed, so that it was the last thing Hiram saw, Lane finally smiled.

Sweet Pea waited as she walked toward him and held the door open for her to walk through, his eyes on the guard. And he pulled her around the building and stopped so that he was facing the entrance, so he'd see if anyone tried coming after them. He curled his trembling hands into fists.

"Thanks for coming, I didn't trust the guard," she said knowing Hiram had seen Sweet Pea as well. She wasn't sure if he would've had her killed tonight, either way they'd both walked out of there.

He shrugged stuffing his fists in his pockets. "I was just at the Wyrm, I wasn't doing anything." That wasn't exactly true, but what he'd been doing wasn't as important as being here. "What now?"

He was trying to figure out how bad this made things, which was fine but she didn't have an answer. "Rebecca's expecting me home, but I wouldn't turn you down if you wanted to stay the night."

"You think I'm leaving you after that?" he demanded wishing he'd stop shaking. He'd felt so useless sitting in the lobby, left to imagine what was happening upstairs or what he'd do if she didn't come down. "He wasn't supposed to see you."

"Yeah well he did," she snapped, but she took a breath and sighed. "It's been a long day I just wanna go home." She looked up at him with her arms crossed. "And I want you to hold me," she added, which was as close as she'd get to asking him to stay with her.

So he nodded, because he was realizing this scared her too. She was scared and she wanted him, and that made him uncomfortably warm. "I'll lead," he said sliding a hand around her back and walking to where he'd parked his bike beside her car.

She followed the glow of the taillights, and as they passed the turn for her neighborhood she knew it'd been intentional. He must've thought of something as they drove, so she grabbed her phone and called Rebecca to let her know she was staying with him. She had half a mind to be irritated, but she pulled into the trailer park and climbed out seeing him still sitting on his bike. So she moved to stand in the space between his feet looking down at where he sat refusing to look at her.

A thought had occurred to him very shortly into the drive, a lot of thoughts actually and he'd been having them more the last week. He wasn't sure there was anything he wouldn't do for her, or that she wouldn't do for him. And those thoughts filled him too full and left him feeling like he wanted to be sick. "We haven't been ready for anything we've done, why should this be any different," he said running a hand through his hair the way he did when he was uncomfortable. "You don't have to say anything," he told her, still without looking up. "I'll say it, it'll be over, and we can go inside."

He was trying to convince himself. And Lane was left with everything he'd done for her, and she blinked finding her eyes suddenly wet. With a hand under his chin she forced him to look at her, seeing in the moonlight his insecurity. "I love you too," she said in a voice so soft it barely reached him. Nothing in her life had been around long enough for her to be certain of anything – but she was certain about him.

"You said it," he breathed too stunned to move past that. After everything she'd lost, she was willing to let him be something else that could hurt her. He released a shaky breath and smiled before gathering her in his arms laying his head over her chest. And his eyes closed at the feel of her hands around his back and he shifted his hold on her to pull her closer, loving nothing more than her arms around him.

"I'll kill you if you break my heart," she told him, resting her cheek on the top of his head.

She felt him nod as he responded with a quiet, "I know."

.^.

The first bell rang signaling students to start making their way to class. Lane stood at her locker gathering the things she'd need for first period when someone came up beside her. "Morning," she told Jughead distractedly.

"You went behind our back to help the Lodges."

Her face hardened within the second as she threw the locker door closed and turned to him. "I'm gonna give you a chance to correct your attitude," she told him not in the mood. It'd been a good morning, that turned into a really good morning when Sweet Pea stepped into the shower with her. But looking at Jughead's angry face she knew it wasn't gonna be for long.

"Do you have any idea what Picken's Day stands for?" Jughead asked not taking the bait. "I interviewed Toni's grandfather, he told me General Pickens slaughtered the Uktena for land. This land. You're helping them honor a man who ordered a mass genocide."

Her eyes turned to stone as her hands curled too tight around her book; she swallowed the sudden urge to bash his head in with it. "Is that the word her grandfather used or are you only using it now because you're talking to a Jew?"

"Either way I expected more from you," Jughead answered with misplaced aggression.

She breathed evenly as they continued staring each other down. "I get it. It was a dick move to only invite the Serpents to work security, and it hurts your soft little feelings deep down inside. So I'll give you that one." She stepped closer in a languid way, like a cat not hungry enough to sink its teeth in but still mean enough to toy with its prey. "But until you sit in a history class learning watered down facts about something your grandmother still has nightmares from, don't you ever presume you have the right to use my race against me."

That wasn't what he meant, or at least he didn't intend for it to be. But Jughead was smart enough to realize nothing he said would do him any good at the present moment.

"And to answer the question you, in your self-righteous display, forgot to ask: Veronica went to Weatherbee who made it mandatory." Seeing he was properly chastised she leaned back with her arms crossed. "And if you're so mad about it, stop being a little bitch and do something," she told him before marching away.

.^.

The once elegant, if not cold and sparsely lived in, home was in disarray with boxes either filled and stacked against the wall or left out of the way as they continued to be filled. There were rows of bikes in the driveway as Serpents helped carry furniture to the moving truck that would take most everything to a storage unit Rebecca would pay for until Lane moved into an apartment with the space to use it. But the few things Lane could fit in her trailer were carried to FP's truck, and the non heavy lifters had a list either Lane or Rebecca had written up with the items to go in each specific box.

Most of what Rebecca wanted was already oversea, in the end she only had two boxes to ship. The last few days they'd gone through the entire house as Lane decided what she wanted to keep, which surprisingly didn't amount to much either. She'd looked at it practically: she'd need a couch, a bed, appliances, kitchenware, and the like. Other than the stuff for the kitchen she couldn't fit anything in the trailer, most everything was going into storage. The rest would be taken to the Southside where families in need would take what they could use, everything else would go to an auction.

"I hate to leave while you all are working so hard," Rebecca said as she pulled on her shoes and grabbed her bag. "I have to meet with the attorney to go over one last thing. I'll bring back pizza," she said patting Lane's arm as she walked past her to where FP stood having carried down the last bit of furniture. "You guys are wonderful, make sure to thank everyone for me." She was happy to leave, still shaken when someone started rolling up the rug in the living room revealing the years old blood stain underneath – Rebecca's face had blanched and she'd stopped breathing, and Lane had rushed around her quickly rolling the rug in on itself to hide it.

Within thirty minutes the last box was taped shut and carried to the truck, and what was left were things they'd throw out or leave with the house. "Thanks guys," Lane told them sounding tired as she stood on what used to be her front yard.

FP squeezed her arm seeing through her hollow expression, seeing how hard this was for her. "We'll get everything in, you'll only have to unpack."

Her thank you was more sincere, and she watched him leave before she slowly returned to the empty shell of a home. The four that stayed behind watched her go, hearing in her silence she wasn't happy. "I can't believe you guys didn't tell us," Toni said looking up at Sweet Pea. She had no idea Lane was dealing with this, she felt like she'd been so hard on her.

But Sweet Pea only shrugged, because it wasn't his to tell. "It's not his fault you guys couldn't read her if she were under a microscope. She's made it very obvious she's not happy." They turned to where Cheryl stood keeping several feet between them. "Although I must say, your people move fast."

"Would've gone faster if you actually helped," Toni said in response.

But Cheryl's response was to turn flipping her hair as she marched back inside. The four all rolled their eyes as they followed, hearing a phone ringing in the kitchen. "Think we should tell her about the protest?" Jughead asked looking mostly at Sweet Pea, who he figured would know best. Jughead was also still on thin ice from their last conversation, he didn't want to push his luck.

And while Sweet Pea shook his head Cheryl piped in with, "I already did. After hearing what my great-great-great grandpappy did, I am in full support." She looked at their similar surprised expressions, having overheard them talking about it while they packed. "Silently, of course."

"Of course," Toni agreed with only mild sarcasm and a faint smile.

But the phone was on its sixth ring and Fangs called to Lane, "you gonna answer that?"

There was a loud beep before they heard a cheerful _Hi this is William Vivian, and Lanie,_ came a little voice, _we can't come to the phone right now. Leave a message and we'll get back to you._

The air seemed to be sucked out of the room as they realized what they were listening to. Cheryl ran for the kitchen, but the others stood listening as the phone started ringing again. As Lane called back, wanting to hear her father's voice again.

Sweet Pea moved next, and he stood over where Lane sat close enough to touch but knowing she didn't want him to. The other three crowded in the doorway to the kitchen looking to where Lane sat on the floor holding her phone as she stared blankly at the answering machine she'd found in the closet. Cheryl sat next to her with her arms thrown around Lane holding her tightly, the same way she did the night after her father's funeral when she'd run away looking specifically for Cheryl. And in that moment, as she held Lane feeling the short breaths she took, Cheryl missed her brother.

On the fourth time Lane called back Sweet Pea knelt beside her and waited as her strangely dry eyes met his. "We're gonna go," he told her softly seeing her blink, looking almost like she wasn't seeing him as the phone rang. "I'll see you later," he said though it sounded more a question. He'd never seen her like this, and there was something about the way she stared that kept him from reaching for her. She finally nodded and he stood, his gaze straying to the redhead who had her head on Lane's shoulders and her arms encasing her.

"I've been taking care of her a lot longer than you've been around," Cheryl informed him, feeling Lane's breathing change as she inhaled sharply. She watched him roll his eyes, look to Lane once more, before he ushered the other three out of the house they no longer felt welcome in.

By the time Rebecca got back with a pizza Cheryl caught Lane up on everything she'd missed starting with the fire she'd set in Thornhill, of Betty becoming an interesting player, of what she'd done to Josie, that her family had no money and her mother was now a high end street worker – it was enough to help get Lane's mind off the track it'd been stuck on. She was finally was able to put the phone down. And then Cheryl demanded the details as to how that oversized orangutan had possibly been able to seduce her, and Lane had almost laughed as she thought back and could only answer with, "I don't know, but he did it pretty easily."

Dinner was relatively quick, Cheryl effectively shut down the conversation when she asked what reparations Rebecca would be making to Lane for the all the time Rebecca had been gone. It'd left both Rebecca and Lane holding a slice of pizza to their gaping mouths, neither one knowing what to say. But Lane quickly filled her mouth to keep it from smiling.

And then Cheryl had been dismissed in a manner that was both kind and cold, the way only Rebecca could. They sat for a while with their backs against the wall staring at the empty kitchen, both trying to hold back memories that would only serve to hurt them. Lane was stunned when Rebecca told her what she'd finalized with the attorney, how much she was being left with, it almost softened the blow of her leaving. It ended with a three-quarters of the way empty bottle in Rebecca's hand as she laid her head on Lane's small shoulder. "I really loved him," she said with a hiccup either from the wine or the crying.

"I know," was Lane's quiet reply as she held the unplugged answering machine to her chest.

She loved Lane too, she always had. She'd tried so hard to get Lane to come with her the first time, so this time around when Lane told her no Rebecca knew she meant it. "You're too young to drink but," with a sigh Rebecca passed the bottle to Lane, thinking this was painful enough without a little anesthetic.

Lane blinked at it before slowly taking it from her and bringing it to her lips. And she thought of how gentle Sweet Pea had been with her, his hand on her back while she puked, wiping the sweat from her brow, held her when she couldn't stop shaking. Her chin began to quiver and she handed it back before standing. "I've got school in the morning, I still haven't done my homework," she said bending down to help a wobbly Rebecca up. "I'll drop you off at the hotel."

She half carried Rebecca to the car, then into the hotel, and laid her down on the bed before kissing her cheek as she'd tearfully asked Lane to do. And Lane left her there with a glass of water on the bedside table and got in her car with thoughts of the boy who made her feel like the world wasn't falling apart even though she was. But she pulled into the driveway of a house she'd been in for what seemed like not enough time, and yet long enough to break her heart.

At the sound of a key in the lock he turned from where he stood by the sink lined with empty beer bottles, and Tall Boy found Lane standing in his doorway. With her keys clenched in her fist she charged at him with quick angry feet and he braced himself for a blow. She hit him with enough force he grunted, and he stood with his arms raised looking down at the top of her head as she clung to him. At her broken gasp he wrapped her in his arms feeling her turn her face into his chest as though to hide.

They stayed that way as she caught her breath and swallowed the tears that threatened to spill. He was content to hold her running a hand through her hair, missing her frigid warmth in his now lifeless home. But she took a deep enough breath to remember what he'd done, and when she found that she couldn't hate him she hated herself. She left him as quickly as she'd come, shoving herself away from him and pulling the door shut behind her.

There were so many thoughts swirling around her head she couldn't see straight let alone think about what she wanted. She sat behind the wheel a moment trying to find one amidst the chaos, and she reverted back to when she hadn't had anyone to be there for her.

Turning on the light Lane stood staring at the small bare trailer with a few boxes in the corner. The bed was unmade, the heat wasn't on, one of the lights was burned out, there was no food, no warmth. She moved to the counter and carefully set down the answering machine and plugged it in before pulling out her phone. She didn't know why it did but the plant on the counter caught her eye, and she stared at the delicate white petals of the orchid and found herself wanting.

She let herself in with the key he'd given her, and she kicked her shoes off by door before laying on the bed beside him. "I didn't think you were gonna come," Sweet Pea said turning his head to look at the side of her face in the dark.

"Me neither," she admitted.

When she didn't say anything further Sweet Pea sighed realizing it was gonna be one of those nights, with her being difficult. He didn't want to blame her but she was having them more frequently. "Did Rebecca get everything in order?"

She took a breath feeling her nails digging into the skin of her hands. "The house was bought out by Lodge Industries," she said with a short unamused laugh. But she felt too tired to deal with that emotion and so she growled a sigh and let it go for the time being. "I've got my college fund that my dad started," she paused remembering a time she'd never seen her father so angry, "that he had to restart because my mom took it when she left. But Rebecca added to it. And," she played with the hem of her shirt, "now I'm legally considered an adult I get what he left me in his will, Rebecca added to that too. So I'm good financially. For a while."

She was fidgeting, and he honestly couldn't remember ever seeing her do that before. How could he be mad when her world was constantly caving in around her. So he rolled on his side wrapping his arms around her middle pulling her closer, feeling her turn into him tucking her head under his chin. "You'll get past this," he said because he knew it's what she needed to hear. He felt the soft tickle of her eyelashes against his neck as she blinked. "At some point I'll make you smile and you'll decide you're gonna be okay." With a hand in her hair he kissed her forehead. "Or I'll do something stupid and you'll be too busy yelling to remember you're sad."

A silent beat passed between them before she said, "that one sounds more likely."

He hummed his agreement hearing the faintest hint of humor in her forcedly dull voice. "Hey," he said looking down at her, and he waited until she tilted her back to meet his eyes, "I love you."

She thought on that and nodded. "Yeah, I'm a catch." She watched his brows furrow at her serious tone. "I'm a recovering borderline alcoholic who can't get her life together and constantly needs you. How could you resist that?"

He'd been thinking this whole time he was the one getting the better end of the deal in this relationship, and he almost smiled at hearing she thought she was the lucky one. But what he said was, "it's a good thing you're cute, Vivian."

"You think I'm cute?" she asked innocently, feeling the weight that had been smothering her begin to lighten.

"Well I'm not sticking around for your personality." He watched her blink before her face split with a grin as she laughed, and he brought a hand to her cheek stroking it softly. "There's my smile."

She loved him. It didn't feel safe enough for her to say that again, but she did. Sometimes he just took her breath away, and he did it so easily.


	19. Chapter 19

Her trailer was a little bigger than Sweet Pea's, and a lot worse for wear. The last owner left it a mess which was partially cleaned, and so Lane assigned tasks to the two boys who had the misfortune of coming to see what she was doing home that Saturday instead of working. Sweet Pea and Fangs were left grumbling as they scrubbed the walls and the floorboards,while Lane shined the counters, cleaned the shower, vacuumed the floors, sprayed the inside of the oven and sink with cleaner that had now set long enough for her to start scrubbing.

Having reached the end of the floorboards in his section Sweet Pea stood looking over his shoulder to see Lane all but inside the oven. It gave him a nice view of her backside though, and he looked at her a moment before asking, "why not go ahead and get an apartment?" She had almost a hundred thousand dollars to her name now, not including the college fund that's intention was clearly aimed at an ivy league. It didn't make sense for her to live here.

"I'd like to make money before I start spending it," was her simple answer. And although her father taught her the value of not spending what she couldn't replace, she'd also learned that empty space felt bigger when she was alone. The house had grown large enough to feel like it could swallow her whole, this trailer though small and run down was big enough for her to breathe but small enough to keep her grounded. And she could live with that for now.

Before he could respond they heard someone coming up the steps and they turned to see Toni peeking her head in, Jughead behind her. "It's really coming together," Toni said almost impressed at what she'd gotten done.

"You should've seen it before she put us to work," Sweet Pea said flexing his cramped hand.

Doing a poor job of biting back a smile Toni looked to Lane, who'd leaned into the oven again. "You got a lot done while they pouted?"

From inside the oven Lane gave a sharp, "yup."

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes hearing Toni laugh behind him. "What do you want me to do now?" he asked knowing even if he wanted to Fangs wouldn't leave until she didn't need them.

She sat back wiping her sweaty brow looking at the few baseboards she could see, finding herself impressed by the effort he'd put into it. "I think the couch is the last thing in here," she said watching him close his eyes so she wouldn't see how hard he rolled them.

"What do I get for it?"

With a short laugh she sat on her knees with her arms propped on the counter as she looked at him. "Whatever you want," she told him seriously.

He nodded as he thought about that, taking the pack of magic erasers she slid toward him to clean the faux leather, and Jughead pulled at Toni's shirt wanting to leave before he said something they didn't wanna hear. "Take me out," Sweet Pea finally decided, give her another night to smile before Rebecca left. "Give me the whole works, call me beautiful, make me blush."

On the other side of the counter he leaned forward so that his face hovered over hers, and she looked up at him as her mind turned before settling on a thought that made her grin. "Alright," she agreed. "But I'll tell you now, I'm only doing it to get in your pants."

With a wide smile he leaned down further feeling her nose brush his. "We'll see if you get lucky."

Their smiling mouths met in the middle for a brief, warm, kiss they were slow to open their eyes from. But when the moment passed Lane turned to the two watching them, Toni wearing a smile of her own, and promptly informed them, "if you're still here in the next sixty seconds you will be assigned a job."

"And there's our cue," Jughead said trying to get Toni to walk toward the door.

They didn't make it far before they heard Fangs call from the bedroom, "there's another one."

Grumbling under his breath Sweet Pea marched into the small bedroom before Lane could remind him it was his turn. But within a second he was marching back out. "That one's all you babe," he told her grabbing the sponges and kneeling by the couch.

"I swear to god I'm dating two little girls," she muttered climbing to her feet to go see how big the spider was.

And she paused at the sight of it with her head slightly tilted to the side, feeling Toni at her back as she mumbled, "it's huge." At Lane's pointing Toni grabbed the vacuum and stood back watching as Lane unhooked the hose and sucked it up.

She startled Fangs by shoving the hose against his chest, and then she pointed to the half-assed cleaned floorboards around the room. "Try again," she told him before walking back to the front. "And since you two are still here, take the trash out when you leave," she said motioning to the three bags she'd already filled.

Before they left they heard Fangs from the back call, "Lane," as he found another spider.

…

When she was satisfied enough to call them done she shooed them both out and took a shower to wash the feeling of cobwebs and dust off her skin. After, with her hair wrapped in a towel she unpacked her clothes hanging them in the closet and folding them in the drawers that'd been built into the frame of the bed. She then worked in the kitchen organizing the silverware and dishes, stuffing various appliances where they fit in the cabinets.

About two hours later he heard her knock on his door and he paused at the sight of her on his doorstep. She wore a white dress with sleeves hung off her shoulders the way she knew he liked, her face clear of makeup the way she knew he liked, and her hair down the way she knew he liked. "You look beautiful," he said feeling undeserving in his jeans and plaid button down - plaid because he knew she liked him in it.

"Thought I was supposed to tell you that," she said pursing her mouth around a smile. He'd even combed his hair back.

With his hands in his pockets he shrugged. "I can change if we're going somewhere nice," he told her not understanding the way she smiled.

She reached around him pulling the door closed and ushered him in the direction of her car. "I wore this for you," she said wrapping an arm around him. "And I swear," she looked around and her gaze landed on an ugly gnome set up outside one of the older Serpent's trailers, "on that troll, that I will never take you or ask to be taken anywhere nice."

He looked down at her several moments before nodding. "I love you," he told her in a serious manner.

"We'll see how long that lasts," she said and laughed lightly at the way his brows drew together now wary of what she had planned.

They drove in relative quiet with his hand on her knee, and he watched them turn into the Northside wondering where she was taking him. He stared at the house she parked in front of not trusting it or the faint grin she wore. "I thought he bought it from you," he said not understanding why they were there.

"It goes through tomorrow, technically it's still ours." She pulled his hand off her leg and climbed out of the car, leaving him to begrudgingly follow.

Unlocking the door she held it open for him to go inside first, and he held her eye as he stepped in before looking around. In the place where the couch used to be he found a blanket spread out with a picnic basket in the center. "No the hell you did not," he said turning to her with widened eyes and a frowning mouth.

She was pressing her lips together so hard her teeth left indents, but he was so cute as he stared at her confused that she couldn't keep from laughing. It was a sweet sound, little bursts of giggles as she held a hand to her mouth trying to stop. "You can thank Toni for this," she said trying very hard to straighten her face. "I just wanted to annoy you."

He figured that much because neither of them really enjoyed stupid stuff like this, and he rolled his eyes hearing her mumble about his face being worth it as she cleared her throat. "There's goddamn candles," he muttered shaking his head as he bent to light them. "So we're gonna eat dinner thinking of Toni, is that it?" he asked, hating how much the two talked about him.

"No." She waited as he turned to look at her, hearing in her blunt answer she had something else. "You really think I'd be as simple as a candlelight picnic?" she teased, motioning for him to sit before she sat across from him and began unpacking the basket. She set down plates and silverware, the sandwiches she'd made, a bag of chips, soda, and a small cake she'd gotten that she planned to eat most of since there would be no alcohol. "You're going to sit there and keep your hands to yourself while we eat knowing I'm not wearing anything under this dress."

She took his breath away sometimes. And now that she was done pouting, she was almost fun when she wasn't trying to get drunk. "I make it five minutes you take it off," he countered seeing the way her eyes lit up.

"You've got a lot of confidence in yourself," she said knowing he'd cave in the last thirty seconds. And from his smile he knew it too.

They were both wrong, he didn't make it close to five minutes before he reached for her. Either way it was a game they both won and it ended an hour later as she sat with her back to his chest in the tub sharing the cake. "Hey," she exclaimed quietly when he licked the icing she'd picked up with her finger.

He smiled kissing her cheek as he held her tighter feeling almost drowsy from the warm water and the dim candlelit room. And then a sudden, cruel, thought came to him that he knew she'd love. "Do you have a crawlspace or a floorboard that comes off?"

She turned to him with deeply furrowed brows wondering what was on his mind. "We've got one that comes up a little on one end, you might be able to pry it up. Why?"

It was good enough and he stood pulling her to her feet with him, wrapping the towels she'd known to bring around themselves as she took him downstairs to the living room where the floorboard was.

Seeing where a corner came up just slightly he asked her for the knife she brought and she stood back watching him slowly work it up. Before long the whole end was dislodged and he easily pulled board up. "Get dressed," he told her.

Still wondering what he was planning she did as told and followed him to the car, knowing he'd tell her when he was ready. So she let him drive, at some point leaning her head on his shoulder, finding themselves back on their side of town where the twenty-four hour store was.

"Sweet Pea, what is this?" she asked following him inside. Her patience to wait him out now gone as she regretting not grabbing a sandwich before they left - because he hadn't lasted long enough for her to eat one.

"Just come on," he said grabbing her hand because he knew her well enough to know she'd stop walking out of stubbornness, which almost always ended in him carrying her.

She let him pull her to the back where the seafood section was and she stopped with him by the display case of packaged fish.

Her mouth dropped when she finally caught on and she turned to see him smiling. Hiram Lodge had bought her house adding salt to injury, but it was gonna smell like death when he finally found the fish under the floorboard. And she looked up at Sweet Pea with such an open and loving expression as she told him, "you make me really happy." Without a care in the world she stepped onto the toe of his boots and kissed him.

.^.

They were woken by someone pounding on Lane's trailer. Sweet Pea was the one who answered it expecting it to be Fangs, but his groggy mind was shocked awake at the sight of the uniform.

"I'm looking for Lane," Sheriff Keller told the boy, who he recognized as the one who had her cell phone on him after the raid.

She'd already been up, stopping to grab Sweet Pea's shirt, and pushed her way between him and the door. "What?" she asked tiredly, squinting against the bright morning.

"Do you know anything about what happened to the Picken's statue?" he asked looking more towards her.

But Sweet Pea was the one to answer, "I already spoke to one of your guys. It wasn't a Serpent."

Keller nodded, not quite believing that last part but he didn't really think it was the two in front of him. "Hiram Lodge said you and his daughter aren't on the best of terms, suggested we look into you. I told him I'd follow up personally."

Lane looked at him waiting for a punch line, because he wasn't looking at Sweet Pea at all. "Yeah, I climbed on his shoulders and used the power of feminism to knock a stone statue's head off." Without taking a breath she brought a hand to her face and said, "I'm sorry, I'm just really tired. And I helped Veronica set up Picken's Day, I'm sure he forgot to mention that."

"I never thought you did it," Keller told her, earning a disquieted look from her boyfriend. "I just said I'd follow up. I do, unfortunately, have to give you this." He pulled an envelope from his coat pocket and handed it to her. "It's for the entire trailer park."

Reading the bold print at the top of the paper Lane made a noise that was somewhere between a laugh and a sigh. "Thank you," she told the sheriff, who tipped his hat and said goodbye.

"What is it?" Sweet Pea asked after she'd shut the door.

Slamming the letter on the counter she rubbed her eyes finding her head was killing her and she was feeling a little nauseous. "It's an eviction notice," was her bitter answer. "They want us out in two weeks."

"What?" he cried grabbing the letter and crumpling it in his fists while he tried to read it. But all he could see was red. "Goddammit."

She watched him stalk out of the trailer, punching the wall by the door as he went, and blinked at the loud clap of the door he slammed it shut behind him. And she sighed at this already bad day getting so much worse, as if that wasn't just the sum of her entire life.

He burst back into her trailer as enraged as he'd left it. "When are we taking her to the airport?" he asked with his voice still raised.

Looking at the time on the oven she answered, "an hour and a half. Look, you go deal with this. I'll take her and then go to the library, see if I can find out how to fight this."

"I'm not just gonna leave you, alright. I'll drive you to the airport and I'll be there when she's gone. And at some point I will stop yelling," he told her, while yelling.

She stepped to him wrapping her arms around his waist, drawing comfort from the feel of him. But a smell hit her and her stomach turned. "Oh god," she said stepping back. "Babe, I said it last night and I'm saying it again, you got fish on this shirt." It was all she could smell and she pulled his shirt over her head and dropped it on the floor before making her way to the shower. She'd just stepped into the warm spray when she felt him at her back pulling her closer.

When they were done and dressed she walked with him to her car feeling her smile slowly slipping away. Another smell hit her and her face screwed up. "God I hate bacon."

He looked down at her confused. "No, you don't __eat__ bacon. You love the smell of it, and you like to kiss it off my mouth."

"Well I don't like it today," she said feeling her stomach sour. "There isn't a word for it in English but we've got one in Spanish when you eat too much sugar and you just feel," with a hand on her stomach she made a face like she wanted to puke. "I think I ate too much cake last night."

"Well you did eat an entire chocolate cake." He met her mildly offended eyes and smiled. "You only let me have one bite."

"I remember letting you have two," she said in her defense.

Slinging an arm around her shoulder he pulled her against him as they made their way to the lot she usually parked in. He didn't notice the way her face slowly fell, his mind caught onto something she'd said. "You speak Spanish?"

She looked up at him with her dark brows drawn together. "My mother's Mexican."

He was even more confused as he stared down at her green eyes. "Since when?"

"The whole time," she answered slowly as they reached her car, unsure of what to say.

With a shrug he took it and they climbed in, but the moment they picked up Rebecca from the hotel – after he put her suitcase in the trunk – he asked, "is her mother Mexican?"

While Lane groaned rolling her eyes Rebecca, from the back seat, answered with an amused, "yes, dear."

"I know I've cursed in Spanish in front of you," Lane told him. "I'm pretty sure I've cursed at you in Spanish."

She did that so rarely it took him a moment to remember. "I thought that was Hebrew."

"I don't speak Hebrew."

Now it was his turn to look confused. "You did those Hanukkah prayers," he reminded her.

From the back a stunned Rebecca asked, "you got her to celebrate Hanukkah again?" She looked between the two seeing something warm pass between them as their bickering quieted.

"Yeah I surprised her with it," he said glancing at her in the rearview mirror.

Beside him Lane smiled faintly filled with the same affection for him now as she had been almost two months ago. "It was really great," she said softly as she looked up at him, seeing his smile.

The closer they got to the airport the quieter they became, and by the time they pulled up to the drop off no one was smiling. He still didn't understand why Rebecca asked to be dropped off instead of them going with her inside, or why Lane had agreed. He walked around to the trunk getting the suitcase for her, and he turned seeing them holding each other on the sidewalk.

"This isn't goodbye," Rebecca told her feeling her nod. "You'll always be my daughter, and I will always be here when you need me." Lane could still only nod, not trusting her voice when her throat felt so thick. Squeezing her Rebecca released a breath and let her go, turning for the boy who quietly waited behind them. She hugged him too, feeling his hands awkwardly pat her shoulders. "You're a wonderful young man," she told him. "I know you'll take care of her."

"Yes ma'am."

Grabbing the handle on the suitcase she stepped back from them both, seeing Lane slowly draw to his side. "I'll see you both in summer," she said clearing her throat. "I'll send you an invitation when we've got them made."

Lane nodded forcing her mouth to curl, and it quickly straightened when Rebecca turned away. Her hijab was pink today, Lane thought she looked so beautiful in pink. She shied away from the hand Sweet Pea placed on her shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked knowing she wasn't.

She blinked trying to swallow the knot stuck in her throat, and she shook her head before climbing in the car. He sighed not knowing what to do only that she didn't seem to want him. Sitting behind the wheel he thought back to a couple days ago, about who'd been here for Lane the longest.

Which is how he found himself sitting on the hood of the car he'd parked in front of a house that might as well have been a castle to him, while Lane sat in car crying as Cheryl held her.

.^.

He found her at the library taking up an entire table surrounded by thickly bound legal books, a notepad she furiously scribbled into, with three bags of Doritos and a bag of M&Ms. Rapping on the table to get her attention she glanced at him before returning to the paragraph she was reading, never once saying hello. "Find anything?" Jughead asked looking at her notes but her writing was almost illegible.

"Yeah, we play our cards right we've got a lot of time to figure this out," Lane answered still not looking up.

"That's great," he told her, knowing she'd come through for them again. "Hey, I'm meeting with Mayor McCoy, are you confident enough to bring any of this to her?"

"I don't have time."

He looked down at her waiting for her to say or do anything more than that, and he laughed irritably when she didn't. "Legally this could go a long way into helping convince her to drop the evictions."

"She's got her head stuck up someone else's ass, you're not gonna convince her of anything."

Jughead paused at that, hearing that Lane had pieced together something he hadn't. "Who's she working with?" he asked, thinking maybe he could use that against McCoy.

"Look," she said finally turning to him, "I just got off work and have yet to start any homework, I've got three tests at the end of the week. Alright?" She could see on his face he still wasn't ready to leave her alone, and to be honest she wasn't really listening anyways. "I've got a hundred and one things going on, I can't hold your hand on this one."

She turned back to the note she'd been writing, trying to find her place, but she knew she could probably get McCoy to agree to an extension at the very least. But when she looked up Jughead had already left, disappointed. And she sighed resting her cheek in hand wondering why she felt so bad about it.

As it started getting dark the librarian came over letting Lane know they closed in a half hour. She took home four books and had just set them up on the floor flipped to the sections she wanted when her phone buzzed with a message from Sweet Pea.

 _ _Penny showed up at the Wyrm, you need to get here.__

The book perched on her knee slid onto the floor as she stood pulling on her shoes. This is why Tall Boy suggested she stay home tonight, to try to find a way for them to fight the evictions. This was the thing she couldn't figure out, why he'd wanted Rebecca to take her. He was starting a war.

…

She entered the deadly silent bar and reached a hand back to catch the door so she could quietly ease it closed. She'd come in through the back and she stood a moment looking at where everyone was crowded around the table Penny and FP sat, with Jughead standing in the front of the bar alone. For the time being she held her place at the back, an unnoticed observer.

"That used to be my Serpent tattoo," Penny said showing the scarred patch of flesh on her arm, "until your son sliced a chunk out of my arm and left me bleeding in a ditch in Greendale." She nearly smiled as FP brought a hand to his face. "But, I'm still willing to help the Serpents. Tall Boy showed me those eviction notices, they're legit. Luckily I can think of about forty one ways to stall the process," she told them, proving her worth. "And I'm talking years."

Lane's eyes narrowed at that last part trying to figure out what game she was playing by exaggerating. And she listened quietly as FP asked Penny what she wanted, and then as Penny explained she wanted to make Jughead bleed the same way he'd made her.

"We'll discuss that," FP said as he rose to his feet, dismissing them both. Jughead opened his mouth to object but FP quieted him with a dark look.

"Oh I'm not leaving," Penny said with a jagged smile. "Clock's running out on those evictions, you need me." She couldn't be refused.

"I don't see your tattoo?"

Penny's smile fell to a scowl as they all turned to the girl in the back who dared say that aloud. She might've been small but she had a dead-eyed stare that somehow also burned, and it made her look intimidating. Penny's eyes flared with recognition. "You're the one who held the knife to the flame.

"You're welcome for that," Lane told her in a bored tone. Her gaze fell to her scarred arm before flicking back to her eyes. "It's healed nicely."

Taking that in stride Penny smiled again, running her tongue along her lips as though Lane were a piece of meat. "I like the balls on this one," she said turning to FP. "After I'm done carving up your son I want her."

Lane nodded as she stepped forward, standing at FP's side. "As fun as a sadistic Thelma and Louise scenario sounds, you're not a Serpent yet, and as our leader said we've got things to discuss."

Penny's watchful eyes narrowed seeing the way FP held his arm across the girl with his hand around her hip, noticing the way Tall Boy was watching her, the way the others were watching her – this girl meant something. And Penny smiled. "Fine," she said stepping closer to Lane, forcing her head back as she passed her.

FP waited until he was sure she was gone before turning on the girl. "You are playing with a fire you cannot control," he warned, not seeing a change in her steeled face. "What are you gonna do when she comes after you?"

"I'll slit her goddamn throat," Lane told him almost able to hear the silence from the Serpents around her, "like I wanted to from the beginning." She was harking back to a conversation they had around Christmas. She lowered her voice so only he would hear: "I told you, I'm always right."

He looked at her glittering eyes and shook his head. "Tell me you found enough so we won't need her."

"I found enough, we don't need her," she said seeing a brief flash of his teeth as he smiled. And it wasn't a nice smile.

Clapping her on the shoulder he turned her to face their people. "We'll hear from Lane first, then we'll decide on Penny and Jughead," he told them, wanting to know what they were up against before they made their beds with Penny.

"We don't have the time for that," Tall Boy commented harshly. "And our only hope was driven out by your son."

There were murmurs of agreement, namely from the older Serpents, and FP sighed. He couldn't defend Jughead's actions, not to the Serpents or himself. "Not our only hope," Toni said stepping forward looking to Lane. "What are our options?"

It quieted around her again as they listened, and she took a steadying breath before starting. "At the end of the two weeks if we still haven't left they'll file a lawsuit, which we'll fight. And until a judge rules to either dismiss the case or set a date we don't have to leave."

"So we have time," FP said wanting to clarify, not just for himself but to everyone else.

Lane knew what he was doing. "Penny's sense of urgency is to get under your skin, make you think you have no choice. A lawyer knows how to work the system better but we don't need one," she told them seeing the way FP's mouth twitched as though to smile. "We can file every complaint from unfair treatment to not being given enough time to comply on our own."

"So you know how to fight this," Hog Eye said, verbally aligning himself with her.

Lane turned to them and nodded. "I won't say I know everything, but it's enough for months at least. And before," she turned to Tall Boy, "you can say Penny was talking years, one of the longest cases lasted fourteen months. She doesn't have much more to offer."

She'd found more than enough for them to not need Penny, but FP knew what it would really come down to was what Jughead had done to her. And then Tall Boy stood up reminding them Lane was Jughead' accomplice. Sweet Pea had never jumped up so fast as he admitted he'd been one too, and behind him came Toni and Fangs and all the younger Serpents.

The only decision they reached was to put it to a vote tomorrow night, let people sleep on it and come back with their minds made. Late that night Lane and Sweet Pea found themselves in her trailer. With his feet hanging off the end of the bed he laid between her legs with his head on her chest and his arms around her middle, fast asleep. And with a finger following the words in the book laid on the bed to her left she wrote in the notepad set to her right as she kept working.

.^.

There was something to Tall Boy's fervent arguments against Jughead staying, something Lane didn't have enough pieces to put together. She stood between Sweet Pea and Fangs in the Wyrm listening to them going round and round about whether he should stay given what he'd done, and he was very slowly getting more and more people on his side.

"Stop the damn vote," FP said following Betty and Jughead, who held the head of General Picken's statue in his hands.

Suddenly it fell into place, and Lane swallowed heavily as Jughead stopped in front of Tall Boy. She stayed only as long as it took for him to admit Hiram Lodge had been behind this. It wasn't until after they all voted to exile him that Sweet Pea realized she was gone.

"Where is she?" FP asked him with a hand on the scruff of Tall Boy's neck.

But looking around him Sweet Pea could only shake his head, wondering how he hadn't noticed her leaving.

It was enough for FP to shove Tall Boy out the door and into the truck. "You are gonna look that girl in the eye before I drag your sorry ass outta this town," he said as he drove to Tall Boy's house. FP's suspicions started the day they took her to the hospital and Tall Boy had disappeared, and then Lane's refusal to go back to him, what he'd done now only confirmed it.

Lane looked up at where Tall Boy stood in front of her with FP at his back. He didn't need to say anything, she knew he killed her father. Tall Boy could see it in her eyes, realizing this whole time she'd been trying to deny it. "You saw what I left you in the dresser?" he asked, in the place she knew he kept his gun.

He knew it would end this way, maybe not tonight, but he'd known the moment he took the job from Hiram Lodge he was giving up his life. She nodded.

In the end he was just another person to leave her. "I never meant to hurt you," he told her gently.

She blinked back the sudden flood in her eyes and she nodded. "I know," she responded in a small voice.

He stepped forward reaching for her but FP jerked him back and shoved him toward the car. FP turned back to see her broken face, and with a hand under her chin he tilted her head back so she'd look at him. "This isn't on you," he told her. Wishing he had more time he brushed her cheek before leaving.

Pulling her knees to her chest she sat on the front step in relative quiet wishing to just disappear into the dark, finding in that moment it felt like it'd be easier than how she felt now. But she heard the familiar chug of a motorcycle and it was like a tether keeping her in this place. And god she was so grateful to him sometimes.

Sweet Pea sat beside her on the step knowing nothing he said would make this better, and he hated feeling useless when she needed him. He didn't give himself the credit that this was all Lane needed him to be – was here. It ended with her head on his shoulder feeling exhausted. "He left me the house," she said soft enough he thought he imagined it.

He looked down at her not knowing what to say to that, to any of this. But she seemed content to sit pressed against him, breathing steadily. She seemed calm. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah," she said sitting up to look at him. "Just not tonight." Maybe not tomorrow either, but with him sitting there tomorrow didn't feel so impossible for her to get to.

Climbing to his feet he held his hand out to her. "Come on," he urged and pulled her up with him. "Let's go home. I'll drive."

"What about your bike?"

"You own the house, I'm sure we'll be back," he said as they climbed into her car.

She was glad to be home, she'd felt bone-tired all day. Today and yesterday. She wanted to curl up with him, maybe watch something, and sleep. But she stepped into her trailer seeing Fangs and Toni sitting at the table.

"Hey," Toni said quickly getting up to greet them. "We thought we'd hang out tonight, watch a movie. We brought cake, and drinks."

"Non-alcoholic," Fangs added. "Sweet Pea told us."

She looked between them and nodded before she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Fangs, who grinned stunned a moment then hugged her back. "You too," she said reaching an arm to Toni, who laughed lightly as she hugged Lane from behind. She stood with these people feeling happy and cared for, and it was enough for her to feel like she would be okay.


	20. Chapter 20

_This chapter covers episodes 13 and 14, the line break in the middle is episode 14._

* * *

Lane stood at her locker looking through a folder for next period's homework, that she was almost positive was still on the kitchen table. She all but groaned in distress when she reached the end of her last hope without finding it. She forgot it, she never forgot homework.

It was in this state that Dilton Doiley leaned on the locker next to hers with a small, faintly guilty, smile. "Hey, Lane. How have you been?" he figured was a good place to start.

"The bell's about to ring and I'm sure that's not why you're here," she said turning with a bland expression. "What do you need?"

He cleared his throat, having forgotten how perceptive she was. "I know you're with that Serpent," he said seeing the way her mouth pulled into a frown. "I saw him with someone else the other night, I just. You've always been nice to me," which wasn't true, "I just wanted you to know."

She paused for a moment with her eyes searching the inside of her locker before she turned back to Dilton with wide eyes. "What?" she asked him before she took a breath and shook her head.

As she slammed her locker shut and hurried away Dilton turned back the way he'd come and met Reggie at the other end of the hall. "She looked like she bought it," Reggie said grinning smugly.

Not caring Dilton held out his hand. "Where's my twenty bucks?" He waited as Reggie rolled his eyes before fishing in his pocket for the bill. "You know, she looked pretty hurt," he said before walking off, leaving Reggie's face falling as his previous victory turned to regret.

…

She found him sitting in the student lounge shuffling cards as he talked to Fangs. And she marched up to him landing a particularly vicious blow to his arm. "Did you cheat on her?"

Sweet Pea looked up at Toni's enraged, nostril-flared, face. "Why the hell would you ask me that?"

"Because someone told Lane you did," Toni answered, having been coming to talk to Lane about when she was planning to move into the house when she instead overheard the bespectacled boy. She didn't like the way Sweet Pea scoffed muttering about damn Northsiders. "You didn't see her face, Sweet Pea, she looked really upset."

He paused at that, not knowing how Lane could ever think he'd do that to her. Slamming the cards down he stalked off looking for the class he knew she'd be in, hoping to catch her before she got there. But he stood in the hall looking at where she sat, waiting as she looked up meeting his eye, and then turned away. His stomach dropped wondering who the hell's ass he needed to kick for this because there were times she still thought he'd leave her.

She wasn't coming out so he caught her between classes and stood over her as she exchanged textbooks from her locker. He'd had all period to think about it and he came up with the only solution. "How much are we messing with them?" he asked quietly.

Her palm cracked loudly against his cheek as she hit him harder than she ever had exclaiming, "how dare you?" The hallway fell silent as everyone near enough to hear stopped to watch.

He leaned back reeling from the blow and stared down at her glittering eyes. In a hushed breath of a voice he said, "I am so turned on right now."

She blinked up at him forcing her mouth straight as she threw her locker shut and marched away. He watched her go seeing her pass Toni and an infuriated Fangs, whose jacket Lane grabbed as she pulled him with her.

For the rest of the day people stared and whispered, a few offered sympathetic smiles, an even fewer number came up to say she was too good for that Serpent and was better off without him. And Lane nodded and looked sad, kept an outraged Cheryl on a short leash, and noticed Reggie hovering in the background watching her.

…

After school Toni stormed into the Wyrm seeing Sweet Pea playing pool wearing a small smile. And she smacked him then like she had that morning. "She's the best thing that's happened to you."

Shrugging her off Sweet Pea told her irritably, "yeah I know. I told you, I didn't do anything."

"Does Lane know that?" Toni demanded.

"Of course I do."

Toni looked around Sweet Pea's hulking form to see where Lane sat at a table with Fangs. Toni looked between them not seeing any animosity, and she sighed smiling. "Good," she said moving to sit beside Lane, "because you guys are great together. I'm glad you talked it out." She was still amazed Lane was able to get Sweet Pea to do that.

But Lane and Sweet Pea shared an amused look before she turned to Toni. "I never doubted him," Lane said in a serious tone.

Toni's brows rose at that, not buying it. "Not even a little?"

She looked up at Sweet Pea to see he'd stepped closer, a question in his dark eyes. And she answered, to him, "not for a second." With a soft smile he reached a hand to her chin before walking back to his game.

"So what are we doing?" Toni asked to get Lane's attention off of his back.

It didn't work, and so Fangs answered, "we were talking. Lane feels gassy today, and Sweet Pea dutch ovened her last night."

That finally worked and Lane rolled her eyes. "Yeah, he thought it was hilarious."

"Fangs or Sweet Pea?" Toni clarified.

"Both," Lane answered seeing Sweet Pea smiling again and hearing Fangs laughing beside her. With a sigh she turned to Toni, the most sympathetic. "We're at a weird place in our relationship."

Toni nodded watching Lane drink something clear, and then immediately scrunch her nose. It was seltzer, Toni knew she hated it. "You say that like the whole thing hasn't been weird."

Lane opened her mouth to disagree, but she thought on it and closed her mouth. Because she had to agree.

.^.

Lane sat at the table in her trailer punching numbers in a calculator as she reviewed Tall Boy's old paperwork she'd found in the house. "What'd you find out?" Sweet Pea asked as he microwaved a frozen breakfast sandwich.

"The mortgage was paid off."

"What does that mean?" he asked drinking orange juice from the carton.

Jotting down the number she came up with she turned and gave him a stern look that had him rolling his eyes as he got a glass. "It means I only have to pay property tax and homeowners insurance," she answered, not liking the smell of what he was making. "And utilities, of course."

Grabbing the plate from the microwave he sat across from her not bothering to glance at the numbers she was scribbling. "So what are we looking at?"

A hint of a smile graced her lips as she added health insurance for the both of them. "If neither of us went to college, had any medical needs, and didn't work," she looked up to see him waiting expectantly. "We're looking at five years."

The too-warm mouthful he'd bitten off almost fell out of his mouth as he sputtered. "Five years?" he repeated seeing her nod as she covered her nose. "We don't have to do anything for five years?"

"No, we're still gonna be working," she said clearing her suddenly dry throat. "We're at the low end of the pay grade, and we only work part time. This is money you fall back on."

He took another bite, not noticing the way she grimaced as she turned her head away. "Say we wanted to go to college."

"There's a lot of, we, going on here," she said wondering what his goal was in asking all these questions.

"Yeah," he nodded. "You have a house, I figured we'd move in together. My pay grade would be your pay grade, and the other way around." He was almost mumbling by the end of it feeling too warm, too close.

That was the wrong use of that word but Lane's stomach was churning and what came out of her mouth was, "get out." He looked up at her with wide, hurt, eyes and she shook her head. "That smell is,"

He watched her jump up from the chair and lunge for the sink, barely making it before she was heaving. Rising to his feet he patted her back.

"I hate you," she said when she was done. Except he was standing too close and that damn thing was still in his hand, and she puked again.

"Sorry," he said around a mouthful hearing some obscenity come out of her mouth before she started gagging. He sat on the step of her trailer finishing his sandwich, that hadn't bothered her the day before, wondering what the hell he was supposed to about her.

"She still throwing up?" Toni asked when she came around the corner to find him, as he'd been more and more lately, outside eating whatever was upsetting her stomach.

"How do you ask your recovering alcoholic girlfriend if she's drinking again?"

Toni's brows rose in surprise at hearing that and she moved to sit on the step beside him. "You really think she's drinking again?"

He shrugged not knowing what to think. "Everything made her puke when she was hung over."

Toni remembered that being true and she sighed wishing there was a way to make this easier for both of them. "I'm not saying you should be okay with it, but the last week alone has been really hard. Just," she raised a shoulder not knowing the best way to go about this or even if there was one, "go easy on her." They sat quietly for a time, long enough he finished his breakfast and was waiting for Lane to say he could come back in. "You ask her about moving in together?" Toni asked him.

He shrugged again feeling that same too-warm feeling in his chest. "That's what we were talking about before she kicked me out. She's gonna say it's too soon."

"It is too soon," Toni told him agreeing on that point, they were too young and they hadn't been together nearly long enough. "But we're still being evicted, and Lane now has a house for some reason she thinks she can't afford by herself, and there's only one bed to share between her and a roommate. She's practical if nothing else." He was the only one that made sense living with her, but he still shrugged as if some part of him didn't think she wanted him. "Besides," Toni said shoving his face aside as she stood, "she's head over heels for you."

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes and fixed his hair, watching her go. And still he shook his head like he didn't believe it. "She's right." He turned to see Lane in the doorway behind him. "It does solve the eviction problem, for us," she added, because at the end of this she figured they'd end up with Fangs and Toni on the pullout. "And the last part," she said picking at the doorframe.

"The one where you're head over heels?" he teased.

Pressing her lips together to keep from smiling she said, "shut up. I still hate you."

"Yeah?" He climbed to his feet and stood over her. "I hate you more," he told her, and a beat passed between them before they shared a slow smile.

.^.

Lane was standing over the sink in the bathroom at school as Cheryl wiped her wet cheeks when Betty burst in throwing a stall door open and threw up. Patting Lane's shoulder Cheryl rushed to the stall seeing Betty sitting on the floor looking close to tears. "Oh, Betty, are you okay? Do you need some help?"

Betty shook her head feeling like her world was caving in around her. "I'm fine, Cheryl."

"Let me grab you a towel," Cheryl offered gently.

"I said I'm fine."

Cheryl nodded stung. But before she left she told Betty, "you have puke on your collar." Looking to Lane, who waved her away, Cheryl left the bathroom.

Betty looked down at where she'd gotten on her shirt and sat back sniffing as she tried to catch her breath and stop her hands from shaking. But another body had been found in a motel and sooner or later someone was going to find the one she and her mother hid. Hearing someone else sniffing Betty peeked out of the stall to see Lane with a hand on either side of the sink looking at herself in the mirror.

"Stop. Crying," Lane told herself firmly. But her chin quivered and she lowered her head feeling warm tears slip down her cheeks.

A thought came to Betty, or rather a memory, and she took a breath before asking, "you wanna hide in here with me?"

Lane turned to see Betty, who she honestly hadn't known was there, and Betty seemed to be doing worse than she was. With a sigh Lane sat in the stall across from her grabbing toilet paper to wipe her leaking eyes.

"Why are you crying?" Betty asked thinking it was strange seeing her look so vulnerable and raw. As raw as Betty felt.

She shrugged sniffing back the tears in her nose. "It's just what's happening," she answered running the tissue down her cheeks before she wiped the vomit from Betty's collar.

Betty mumbled thanks as she thought of how to broach this, to admit that months ago Jughead told her more than he should've. "Jughead told me what you did," she said deciding there was no good way and to just come out with it. "Twice."

For a moment Lane blinked at her wondering not just why but when Jughead would've told Betty that. The Serpents knew because she'd gone to them for help, Cheryl knew because Lane trusted her; but Betty, Lane didn't chose Betty. But she sighed, seeing the signs of sleep deprivation and paranoia and self hatred – Lane could be mad at Jughead later. Climbing to her feet she held a hand out to the now wary other girl. "Come on," she told Betty, who took her hand and stood. "We're stopping by my locker first because I'm starving."

It ended with the two girls locked in Lane's car, Betty watching Lane dump a bag of chips between two slices of bread. "What is that?"

Lane didn't answer until she'd taken a bite, feeling such a need to be eating. "A peanut butter, pickle, and chip sandwich," Lane mumbled with her mouth full. Then she held it out to Betty. "Want some?"

"No," was Betty's quick answer thinking that might make her sick again.

Lane shrugged taking another bite and prompted Betty to start talking. And she sat there listening as Betty outlined coming home to a man on her floor, blood everywhere, her mother urgent but not panicked, cleaning it up, hiding the body, acting like everything was fine when it wasn't. Lane nodded agreeing when Betty said she couldn't sleep, admitting to Betty that she still couldn't sleep without Sweet Pea, and that she had felt and still occasionally did feel everything Betty did. By the end of it Betty's hands covered her face as she tried not to cry.

"Do you want a chocolate bar?" Lane asked sticking her hand in the paper bag she'd brought. "I've got four."

Betty turned planning to say no but she sighed and took one with a soft thanks. She ripped open the top and took a bite. "Do you ever visit the - god visit, it makes it sound so normal," she brought a hand to her face covering her eyes for a moment before inhaling sharply. "Do you ever go to place you dumped them? Just to make sure no one found them?" It's what she was thinking, after Kevin said a body had been found Betty thought the absolute worst. It filled her with a panic that would only settle once she saw that no one found where she and her mother dragged the corpse. But she turned to Lane when she remained quiet, seeing her staring out the windshield deep in thought.

"I don't know where Tall Boy hid the bodies," she said softly. "That's a problem I didn't know I had."

Betty almost felt guilty for being the one to add that burden to Lane's shoulders, but it felt so good to tell someone. To tell someone who knew what it felt like. And it was all just so sick.

A familiar swelling in her chest had Lane nodding. "I'm gonna cry again," she said prepared for the onslaught of tears. But her stomach turned and she shook her head reaching for the handle. "No, I'm gonna throw up," she said sticking her head out of the car.

Betty ran a hand along her back until she was able to sit back up, understanding the feeling of having too much inside and no other way for it to come out.

.^.

The next weekend, after Lane had spent various hours during the week cleaning Tall Boy's house and repainting to make it feel less bittersweetly familiar, she Fangs and Sweet Pea carried the boxes from their trailers to the truck FP was letting them borrow.

"You made it three weeks longer than I thought you would," Toni said as she stooped to grab a box and help, now that she was off work herself.

Lane turned looking offended. "You thought I'd cave the first night?"

Toni shrugged failing to hide her smile. "I didn't think you'd cut it living in a trailer."

Shaking her head Lane nudged her and they laughed as they placed their boxes in the bed of the truck and walked back for more. "Hey Lane," they heard a light voice call, and they turned to see Veronica in a rich purple dress, "Hey Toni."

Toni stared at her with her nose curled wondering if she realized how out of place she looked wearing a dress that probably cost more than their rent. "Hey Veronica," Lane said in return, and Veronica beamed as she went into the Jones' trailer with her father.

With wide eyes and severely furrowed brows Toni turned to Lane as though she'd grown another head. "You don't like her."

Lane blinked at her innocently. "Yeah," she agreed not understanding the problem.

"Then why'd you say hi?" Toni asked. "You never say hi."

"Okay, so I wasn't a bitch. Aren't you the one who's always telling me I need to be nice," Lane said as she continued on to the trailer to grab one of the last few boxes they needed to move.

Toni watched her go seeing Fangs and Sweet Pea coming out with something in each of their hands. "Have you talked to her yet, is she drinking again?"

"What?" Fangs asked, prepared to go back and yell at Lane because it'd been hard enough on Sweet Pea the first time.

"No," Sweet Pea answered quickly. "The bakery that sells the cake she likes had a notice saying some of them had been made with eggs that carried salmonella." He only knew that because she'd asked him one day at school if he'd get her the cake during lunch period, and he'd seen the sign. She'd been really irritated when he didn't come back with a cake.

Almost guiltily Toni nodded before she remembered – "wait, we all ate it. None of us are sick."

But Sweet Pea shrugged and resumed walking to the truck. "Yeah, she ate a whole cake a few days before that."

Toni still wasn't buying it but Fangs laughed and followed him, leaving her to go back to the trailer. She found Lane at the sink with an opened box she'd grabbed a glass from. "Thirsty?"

Lane shook her head as she poured the rest of the water out and put the cup back in the box. "Lunch gave me heartburn."

"Okay," Toni said wanting to believe her. "You feeling alright?"

Picking up the box Lane made for the door. "Well I haven't thrown up yet today, I hope that means it passed," she answered before leaving Toni to grab the last box.

Lane and Sweet Pea drove the truck to the house, and Sweet Pea let her in watching her face slacken with surprise at seeing the old furniture had been removed and hers had been set up already. "Mac got a few guys together to move everything while we packed. Said to tell you no one will get you a better housewarming gift."

"And he's right," she told Sweet Pea very serious. "Because we now don't have to do this." Now he was catching on, and he was just starting to smile when she said, "I mean, we're changing everything, but it's already here."

He'd never assume anything different than Lane wanting everything to be exactly the way she liked it, and he bent to kiss her forehead before helping bring in boxes. They carried everything in and stacked it against the wall, and as Lane caught her breath she wanted to never do this again. "Can we be done for today?" she asked looking up at Sweet Pea.

Another time he might've found it odd that Lane was ready to call it quits when there was still a lot of work to do, but he was sick of moving too and quickly agreed. Then he rolled his eyes when she went to the bathroom to pee, again.

She came back out and looked for the box she'd labeled bedroom and searched for the sheets. "You guys are always welcome," she said looking over her shoulder at Fangs and Toni. "But if you come by tomorrow you will be assigned a job. So if you want a nice weekend, maybe don't come by." Fangs she knew would still probably come over, but Toni raised a thumb and backed herself out of the house.

"What about me?"

Lane looked up at where Sweet Pea leaned on the wall beside her. "You're not helping your girlfriend move into a house, this is us. So," she thought a moment and shrugged, "tough luck you're stuck helping me."

Even though he'd already known that he still rolled his eyes, nodding at Fangs when he left with Toni. "What do you want me to do?" he asked, and barely caught the sheets as she tossed them at him. He started making the bed, after playing on his phone for a bit, while she put everything that needed to be in the fridge. "I can feel you checking me out," he said seeing the shape of her in the doorway in his peripheral as he bent to grab the sheets.

"Don't put those on yet."

Turning he saw her watching him with heated eyes that lit a fire in him as he happily pushed her onto the bed. She'd been wanting him more lately, was enjoying it more too. Something was going with her, but as he moved steadily on top of her feeling her start to shake, he wasn't questioning it.

…

"Sweet Pea." He groaned rolling over, but he settled and fell back asleep. "Sweet Pea."

This time she shook him and he sat up throwing an arm over her. "Is the house on fire?"

"What? No," she said running a hand through his hair as he laid back. "Everything's fine."

He blinked at the dark room he could just barely make shapes out of from the glow of the street lamp outside. "Did something happen? What time is it?" he asked grabbing his phone.

"Can we go to the store?"

The sudden bright light had his eyes watering and he squinted trying to read the numbers. "Lane, it's one thirty," he told her irritably.

"I know," she said sounding almost guilty. "I already raided the kitchen. And I got brownies stuck in my head and now I really want them."

"Oh god," he groaned laying back with a hand over his eyes. But he was awake now and he grumbled an unhappy, "fine," and climbed out of the bed. "Get dressed."

She jumped up with him. "I already am, and you're clothes are on the foot of the bed."

He winced at the sudden flood of light from her flipping the switch, but he saw she was in fact dressed and that she had grabbed his clothes. "You're a pain in the ass," he said pulling on his pants.

"A pain in the ass who loves you."

Pausing as he stuffed his arms in the shirt he gave a short laugh before finishing and told her, "that's not helping your case." But as he walked past her he held a hand on either side of her face and ducked his head to kiss her, because he was a pain in the ass that loved her too.

.^.

"You actually took her?" Toni asked him the next day as she and Sweet Pea unpacked the kitchen while Lane and Fangs ran to the store to get a few things for the house. "Pea, that sounds like the munchies," she said not liking what this was adding up to. The biggest problem is Lane for the most part acted fine, there were just a few slipups like this that made Toni worry. "You sure she's not coping another way?"

"She's not doing drugs," he answered without question.

But Toni was tired of watching him ignore everything because it was easier than dealing with it. "Are you sure?"

He took a breath and sighed. "No," was his quiet answer as he brought a hand to his face.

"Then you need to talk to her," Toni told him, because Lane wasn't talking to her. "Look, I know this is the best place she's been in the last five months but if she's doing something that could hurt her then she's not in a good place."

These were things he didn't want to deal with, and he knew when Lane got home she'd say something mean and sound so much like herself he could almost forget about everything else. "I believed her when she said she wasn't drinking."

"Okay," Toni said relenting, knowing he meant he didn't think she was doing anything else. So she shrugged. "Maybe it is the stress of everything and she's having a mental break. But you need to talk to her because she's not acting like herself. Something's obviously bothering her."

The problem was that it could be anything; that she was technically a murderer, that she'd lost her only family, the inevitability of Lodge coming after her again, how fast things were moving with her and Sweet Pea that neither of them were really ready for, the continuous changing of her future plans, or maybe Toni was right and it was everything. But even then, Sweet Pea had seen her upset and this wasn't how she acted.

…

Later, when they were lying in bed beside each other in the dark he asked, "are you okay?"

She was quiet a moment before she reached over him and turned on the lamp so she could see him. "In what regard? Us living together or,"

"Anything," he said not meaning to cut her off. But he didn't want to be having this conversation again, and he could see she didn't either.

Taking a second to think she asked, "did Toni put you up to this?"

"That's not the point," he snapped, watching her lean back.

"Okay," she said sitting up, seeing he was bothered which in turn bothered her. "We can talk if you want." She brushed aside the hand he raised to reach for her, feeling bad about snapping at her, which was fine but he did it again. "Knock it off, you wanted to talk we're talking."

He dropped his hand with an aggravated sigh as he sat up against the headboard mumbling, "that's my girl."

Brushing her hair back she took a breath and tried to think of what she was supposed to say. "Nothing is more wrong than it already was. And in regards to this," she gestured between them, "we're high schoolers living together, we're not ready for it, we have no real plan after we graduate or whether we're even going to be together at that time. It's just, it's a lot."

She didn't think they'd last, was what Sweet Pea was hearing. "Yeah," was his soft response.

"I used to have it planned down to the last detail, where I'd be, what I'd be doing. And now I just," she raised a hand as though to shrug, "I don't see anything." Which was the problem, she couldn't envision any type of future for herself anymore. Almost. "Except you," she added in a quiet voice. "Sometimes."

His morose thoughts turned on their head and he blinked at her. "I'm the only future you see?"

"Sometimes," she repeated irritably. And she rolled her eyes at him wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against his chest as he sat back, feeling his mouth against her cheek. "What do you see?"

He couldn't have stopped himself from smiling if he'd wanted to, hearing her admit what he himself thought. "I see this," he told her. And when she opened her mouth he quickly covered it with his hand. "It's my turn, shut up," he said laughing at the way her eyes hardened. But he settled quickly as he forced himself to admit a similar truth. "Working at the garage, you in school to be a lawyer." He lowered his hand from her mouth so she'd tell him she could see that too.

"I could start my own firm," was as close as she'd get.

"And," he started, feeling her shift in his arms so she could better look at him, "you still could even if we aren't together. And unless you do something or want me to leave, you'll always have me."

That was something that had always been in the back of her mind, she couldn't imagine a life he wasn't apart of anymore. Romantically or otherwise. Hearing that melted her like butter. "I really like you," she told him seriously.

"I know," he said leaning forward to kiss her. He didn't like talking through things, but he liked what came out of this. And he liked the way they could lay back satisfied in what they had together even if parts of it still scared them a little.

* * *

Cheryl stormed out of the bathroom nearly running to Lane who trying to rush into it. "Tell that snake to stay away from me," Cheryl called as Lane pushed past her.

Toni looked up still grinning at the brief glimpse of something almost…warm, that she'd seen in Cheryl's eyes before throwing her typical hissy fit. And she watched Lane make a beeline for a stall and listened to her heave. She waited as Lane emerged wiping her mouth with a tissue and moved to the sink to wash her hands.

"Sounds like things are going well," Lane said looking at her in the mirror.

Toni shrugged thinking it might've been, she couldn't really figure Cheryl Blossom out and that's why she was so interesting. She couldn't peg her, everything was always a surprise. "Maybe if you stopped eating weird things like reese's and pickles, you'd stop throwing up," she said instead. "I thought you said you felt better."

Wiping her brow with a paper towel Lane shrugged. "Thought I was. My doctor thinks I have a parasite or possibly a worm, he's concerned about the weight loss since I'm still eating."

"So what does that mean?" Toni asked holding the door open as they stepped into the hallway.

"Stool tests," Lane grumbled unhappily seeing Toni smile. "And the pharmacy is ordering the nausea medication so I'll be able to take that tomorrow."

Toni nodded sneaking her arm through Lane's, which before Lane would've given her a partially disgusted look and pulled away but now she didn't seem to notice. "That first one sounds kind of embarrassing now that you live with your boyfriend," she teased.

Lane rolled her eyes. "Who craps with the door open and farts on the couch. There is no shame between us."

"You guys are so weird," Toni laughed as they continued walking together. They rounded a corner and saw Sweet Pea leaning against the wall talking to Fangs. Toni watched him notice Lane, saw the way his face slackened before the smallest smile pulled at his mouth; and she watched Lane press her lips together to keep from smiling as her eyes shone. Looking at each other like they were only two people in the world.

.^.

They were having a lazy Saturday: sleeping in, hanging around in sweatpants, he got her donuts, and pizza, and pasta, convinced her to save homework for tomorrow, they even took a nap. And they'd just settled back on the couch with a bowl of popcorn to watch a movie when the door was thrown open.

"We're not moving," Fangs cried, and then jumped as Toni smacked him.

"You're supposed to knock," she reminded him before turning to where Lane sat on Sweet Pea's lap on the couch. "But, Hiram Lodge did buy the trailer park and took care of the evictions," she explained with an unsure smile.

Lane nodded as she put a few pieces of popcorn in her mouth. "The evictions he was responsible for," Lane added, and Toni gave a soft yeah. "Well I know what I'll be doing when Jughead gets back," she said more to herself as she looked to her buzzing phone. Seeing it was the pharmacy she climbed off of Sweet Pea and moved to the kitchen, listening to the tech tell her the prescription would be filled in the next half hour. She then asked if she could go ahead and refill her birth control while she was there. When she turned for the living room she saw Sweet Pea standing by Fangs shaking his head at something he was saying.

"Let's ask Lane," Toni offered. "Fangs and I are seeing a movie tonight, you two wanna join us?"

With her brows furrowed she looked from where Sweet Pea stood with his arms crossed to where the other two waited expectantly. "That would depend on what we're seeing," she answered without actually giving an answer.

"Love, Simon," Sweet Pea told her, watching her face twist. "And just like that, she's out." His tone was laced with gloating.

"Really?" Fangs asked disappointed.

But Lane shrugged. "I'm not really into movies that have more emotional range than I've shown my entire life," she said unapologetic, hearing Toni laugh. "And on that note, I'm going to the pharmacy. Do we need anything?" She looked up at Sweet Pea as she thought. "Peanut butter?"

"Do not get another goddamn jar of peanut butter," he told her firmly.

She gave him a look as she pulled on her shoes and left, and Fangs turned to Sweet Pea. "What the hell was that?"

He shook his head not sorry in the least. "She gets one every time she's out," he answered, seeing Fangs was gonna say something else in her defense. "We have seven jars." This time Fangs ducked his head scratching his ear, unable to justify that.

…

Standing at the counter of the pharmacy Lane waited for the pharmacist to come tell her the side effects of the nausea medication. "Alright, Ms Vivian, let's see what we have," the pharmacist said as she looked at the computer seeing there were two prescriptions. "One second, there's a pop up one of the medications."

Lane looked around the store as she waited, seeing an end cap of chips she suddenly found herself needing.

"Alright, looks like there was a recall on the birth control." The pharmacist looked at the three month supply they'd given her before Christmas seeing the lot numbers matched. "Yours fell under that. So if you were sexually active at all in the last three months it might be best to take a pregnancy test just to be safe."

Lane stared at her blankly as her stuttering mind tried to process. "What?" Lane asked, then shook her head. "No." They were too careful. But her mind kept spinning like a helicopter with one propeller that couldn't get off the ground. "What?" she asked again. And again talked herself out of it. "No." There was no way this would happen to her. But she looked at the pharmacist with wide eyes and asked, "what?" Everything from the last few weeks fell into place, there were no more excuses to explain away what was happening. "Oh my god."

* * *

 _I heavily considered not doing this storyline, but with the help from the wonderful starryeyedauthor1 I decided to go ahead with it. I'm gonna do my best to not follow the horribly cliched trope that can come with teen pregnancies. There will be future plots and twists, as with everything in Lane's tragic life. _

_A_ _nd for those of you who roll your eyes at the thought of another pregnant OC, please know that part of me cringed and rolled my eyes as well. But I'm kind of excited for how this will change things up, make things a little more difficult. And I hope you guys are too, but please let me know if you have any concerns or questions. I love hearing from you guys._


	21. Chapter 21

She burst through the door in such a panic she didn't close it behind her. "What's wrong?" Sweet Pea asked jumping to his feet, seeing the whites of her eyes from how wide they were as she rushed to the bathroom. Checking first to make sure no one was outside, coming after her, he threw the door shut locking it and followed her. "What happened, is he after you again?" He was trying to figure out what they were up against and what way he needed to protect her this time, but Lane stood holding the bag looking like she was about to cry.

Which she was, she'd been in and out of tears the entire drive home. She brought a hand to cover her eyes until it passed and she could breathe, it was taking longer and longer each time for her to pull herself back together. But when she finally did this time she pulled out the boxes of tests she'd gotten, and another wave of tears hit her.

When he understood what he was seeing the ground seemed to drop from beneath him and he was breathing but he couldn't catch his breath. He heard his name, soft and unsure. And he looked at her and she was crying, or he was. And he was struck with the sudden need to run.

"Sweet Pea," she said on a despairing breath as he stepped back. "Don't le-"

"I'm not leaving," he said sounding breathless, his eyes unable to meet hers. "I just," god he couldn't breathe, "I can't be here."

She heard the door shut behind him and then the sound of his bike, and she couldn't put herself back together this time. As the first sobs shook her small shoulders she sank to the floor with only herself to hold her.

…

He thought it was Toni at first pounding on the door, ready to go to the movies, but in walking to the front of his trailer Fangs saw through the window it was Sweet Pea. "Lane change her mind about the – what happened?" he asked when he saw the way Sweet Pea was shaking. "Is he after her again?"

"I need you to be with her," Sweet Pea told him already leaving again. "I can't do this."

Fangs called after him but he never stopped, and he watched Sweet Pea climb back on his bike and peel out of the trailer park. Grabbing his shoes and his keys Fangs drove to their house and let himself in, wondering what happened when they'd been so happy before. "Lane?" he called heading for the bedroom. But he stopped when he caught sight of her in the bathroom hugging her knees to her chest. "Hey," he said gently as he leaned in the doorway, his gaze moving to the boxes on the counter. "Oh," he breathed feeling like his heart had skipped a beat. This was, it was – he didn't know what it was. "Why did you get six different-"

"Because I needed all of them," Lane cried hearing the hysteria in her own voice. But the crying was back and she didn't really want it so she held her breath.

"Okay," Fangs was quick to say as he sat next to her, seeing she was shaking the same way Sweet Pea had been. "You didn't open any," he said and braced for her to yell again.

But she was hugging her legs tighter. "I couldn't do it," she said tearfully. She felt his hand on her shoulder and she shook her head because that wasn't going to do anything for her. "Yell at me," she told him wiping her nose. "Tell me to get up."

He hesitated a moment, meeting her reddened eyes when she turned to him, and tried not to remember she scared him. "Okay, um, get up," he said trying to be firm. She shook her head turning away and he took a breath. "You're Lane goddamn Vivian, get up, pee on some sticks, and let's get this over with." A beat passed as she blinked at him stunned before he added, "please don't cry."

There was her resolve, come back after it left with Sweet Pea. "Okay," she said climbing to her feet and picking up one of the boxes.

He left her there to do what she needed to, and he stood outside the door trying Sweet Pea's phone and cursed when it went to voicemail. Fangs didn't know what infuriated him more; that Sweet Pea made this his problem, or that he'd left Lane to do this alone. But as he called Toni to tell her he wasn't going with her to the movies he realized Sweet Pea hadn't left her alone, he made sure she'd have someone. It didn't make Fangs any happier about it.

Looking at his phone for the fifth time he wished he'd paid attention to when he left her because it felt like forever and she still hadn't come out. Two minutes after that he knocked timidly on the door. "You alright?" he asked knowing how stupid a question that was. When she didn't answer he cracked the door and peeked inside, and when he didn't see her in the mirror he threw it open and found her sitting in the tub. Not daring to ask why she was in there he crept forward seeing she was staring at the sticks she'd lined in two neat rows.

She didn't need to say anything, he could see the answer in the way her chin quivered when she looked up at him. Before the first tear could fall he knelt beside her and gathered her in his arms, and with a hand on her back and the other under her knees he carried her to the couch and sat holding her as she cried.

…

It was hours later, as he laid at her back on the couch with his arms around her watching the TV he'd turned on to give her mind something else to do besides panic, that his phone started buzzing. Seeing who it was he gently unwound himself from around Lane and quietly went outside. "What the hell, Sweet Pea?" Fangs all but yelled when he answered it.

"How is she?" he asked in a thick voice.

His hand tightened around the phone wanting to tell Sweet Pea he had no right to ask, but Fangs honestly couldn't say he would've reacted any different. Fangs could hear the loud music over the phone, had heard the way he was slurring. His being angry would only make Sweet Pea defensive, so Fangs said, "she finally stopped crying when she fell asleep," knowing it'd hurt him. "But even then I'm pretty sure she's still crying."

Sweet Pea brought a hand to his face feeling that same panicked breathlessness along with the feeling of wanting to make it better because he'd always hated when she cried, and both feelings together didn't sit well inside him. "How many,"

"All of them," Fangs told him in a biting tone. "They're all positive."

He slammed the phone on the bar and downed another shot, wanting to be drunk enough he was someone else's problem. And he turned to the nearest guy looking for a fight.

Almost defeated Fangs returned to the house and sighed at seeing Lane had woken, because he didn't know what to tell her. "He's not coming back," she said seeing it on his face. And her head hung feeling another wave of tears coming on and she was really sick of crying.

"Hey," he said firmly enough it startled her, and he knelt in front of where she sat. "He'll come back." He could see she didn't believe him in the way she shook her head. "He doesn't have the brain capacity to handle big things, when he gets his head around this he's gonna drag his sorry ass home. You know he will." Of nothing was Fangs more sure.

And Lane wished she knew that, she wanted to know that so much. "What if he doesn't?"

He shook his head not allowing it. "I'm not even gonna tell you how much we'd all be here for you, and we would," he told her with a hand on her cheek, "but I'm not going to say that because he's coming back."

It took her some time but she eventually nodded and gave a soft okay. And she let him lay down and pull her against him, let herself lay with his arms around her and her head on his chest, letting him hold her together since she couldn't.

.^.

They heard the familiar rumble of a motorcycle pull into the driveway at close to noon. By then Fangs had convinced her to take a shower and get dressed, and eat though that didn't take much convincing - although they did run to the store to get a frozen pizza because the actual pizza she wanted came from a restaurant that wasn't open yet.

Fangs swore when Sweet Pea shuffled in. "You got in a fight," he said with his voice uncharacteristically raised at the sight of his black eye. "Do you have any idea what she's," he was quieted by Lane's hand on his arm and he sat back glaring heavily.

With his head bowed Sweet Pea stood several feet from where they sat at the table unable to look at either of them, but Lane especially. He'd drunk enough last night to develop a second heartbeat in his head, so he was having a hard time thinking straight. She was the only thought that stuck, he'd wanted to be with her the moment he left her. "I know I didn't do it right," he said glancing at her briefly to see she was still facing away from him. "But I'd like to be here now."

Lane sat for a moment with her eyes on the table and her hand still on Fangs' arm, and both of them waiting for her to move. Whatever had tightened in her chest when he'd left finally let go at hearing his bike in the driveway. Rising to her feet she moved to stand in front of him seeing his face turned away.

She brought a gentle hand to his cheek forcing him to look at her, and in the place of anger he saw a quiet understanding. "I'm so sorry," he told her feeling his eyes burn. He stepped into her arms letting his head fall to her shoulder as his hands came around her back. And it was then, seeing that he was going to stay, that Fangs left.

…

It was still and quiet as they lay beside each other, still in the way their spinning world wasn't and quiet in the way their minds couldn't be. But breathing didn't seem so impossible now that they were doing it together.

"I don't want this," Lane finally said after a long while. She'd never thought much of kids and thought even less of her ever having them, she certainly didn't want one now. They weren't ready, was a thought that felt like a joke, they were too young, they couldn't afford it. At some point she'd turned every thought into an argument to justify what she said.

More or less Sweet Pea thought the same, when his thoughts were coherent because for the most part it was all just a big scrambled mess. So he gave a quiet, "okay."

She turned to him not liking that answer. "Are you fine with that? Is that what you want too?"

"I don't know," he said too quickly. Feeling that same sense of breathlessness in his chest, so he reached a hand to hers to ground himself. "I can't," he tried to find the words but even those he couldn't grasp. "I'll follow your lead," he told her, because she always knew what to do. "I'm here if you want it and I'm here if you don't."

She didn't like that either. Beneath the sentiment of hearing he planned to stay she didn't know what to do. But she was used to being the one with the answers, of taking care of someone when she herself wanted to be taken care of. So she said, "okay."

.^.

Which is how they found themselves a couple days later sitting in a clinic in another town that was unnervingly busy and cluttered, and wrong. "You okay?" Sweet Pea asked her quietly seeing the way she was bouncing her leg up and down.

Her eyes were on a toddler playing with a toy car, Sweet Pea's voice sounded far away. She jumped at his hand on her leg and she sat up trying to sit still. "I just have to pee," she said without looking at him, because he'd see it on her face.

"Vivian."

They both turned to the tired looking nurse that stood in the doorway with a clipboard in hand, and Sweet Pea looked to Lane who then took a breath and stood up first. There weren't many guys there and he'd already caught several people staring, he felt like it was written on his forehead. "There's a bathroom," he said when they went into the back office and he saw one.

"I don't have to go," she told him, not seeing the way his brows drew together confused.

There was something comforting in the uniform manner the nurse asked her questions, when did she take a pregnancy test, did she know how far along she was, how long had she been noticing symptoms and then specific questions regarding symptoms. Lane's answers were simple, matter of fact. It calmed her the way the paperwork had – it was something she knew how to do.

But the nurse left and Lane found herself in front of the wall of pamphlets unable to read anything from the way her vision blurred. Sweet Pea sat in a chair across from the exam table watching her not sure what he was supposed to do; if he should try to hold her or if she wanted him to. He knew he couldn't say anything, he hadn't even been able to nod when the nurse asked if he was the father – a word he hadn't thought of or that it applied to him. So he sat and he watched. They both jumped when the door opened and a kind looking gray haired man walked in.

He introduced himself as Dr Schafer, asked idle impersonal questions of both Lane and Sweet Pea that were meant to put the two obviously uncomfortable teens more at ease. "I'll have you sit up on the table, the ultrasound should help tell us how far along you are. Oh what a gentleman," he said with a smile as Sweet Pea stood and held a hand at her back as she climbed on the table.

Sweet Pea honestly had no idea what he was doing or what he should've been doing, all he knew is that he felt like he was doing it wrong. He stood beside her watching as she pulled her shirt up so Dr Schafer could put some kind of jelly on her stomach before pulling out a weird shaped wand attached to the machine – Sweet Pea didn't know what was happening.

"There we go," Dr Schafer said looking at the monitor. "See there's the head, that looks like a hand." He was quiet as he continued looking, and then there was a very loud fast rushing sound.

"What-what is that?" Sweet Pea asked, because Lane's eyes were fixed to the screen as she made out the strangely familiar shape of a body.

The doctor turned with a small smile looking between the two, the quiet immobile girl and the almost shy rough looking boy that was sticking close to her side. "That's the heartbeat. Pretty fast, huh?" he asked seeing the boy nod and mouth something unintelligible.

"It's not a few weeks," Lane said knowing there shouldn't be any distinguishable features like what she was now clearly seeing was a very small hand resting by its weirdly shaped head. And its heart like a steady squishy drumming.

"I'd say you're at about twelve weeks," Dr Schafer answered, seeing past the blank expression she wore to how frequently she blinked her wet eyes. "Second trimester would've been two weeks away, a lot of fun things happen then: you start showing, less nausea, baby starts moving, mom's usually feeling happier." He glanced at the boy to see him watching her, and her eyes still set on the monitor. "Well," he said turning the machine off so that the screen was black, that seemed to jar her, "I won't talk you out of it. That's our counselor's job," he joked poorly handing her a tissue to clean her stomach. "She'll go over everything with you, all your options, make sure termination is what you want. And then we'll get you scheduled."

Even as she sat up and threw the tissue away all she could hear was that heartbeat, echoing. "Twelve weeks?" Sweet Pea asked when the doctor had left, trying to wrap his head around the last three months and that it'd been there growing the whole time.

"Penny," Lane answered softly. It was the only night they'd both been drunk enough to forget to use protection. Out of the five of them – Sweet Pea, Lane, Fangs, Toni, and Jughead – no one remembered anything after Jughead showed up. One night, one goddamn night.

"Hey," he said reaching for her when she brought a hand to her face.

But she jerked away. "I'm fine," she told him sounding meaner than she meant. But it was like her heart was trying to mimic the one she'd heard, the one she was still hearing, and it was just so fast and she couldn't catch her breath.

He moved back when the counselor came in, and then waited in the hall as instructed while she questioned Lane alone. Lane was holding three different pamphlets when he came back and when she didn't acknowledge he was there he stood beside where she sat with his hands in his pockets. He didn't know why he was being asked questions, he didn't think he got a say. Before every answer he looked at Lane, as though she'd tell him the correct answer, but her eyes were on the floor.

There was a numb disconnect in the way Lane sat there, in her airy voice as she answered, in the way she listened to the woman explain how they were going to remove the 'fetus'. And then she stared blankly at the lady behind the front desk as she scheduled her for the middle of next week after school.

Sweet Pea followed her quietly to the car, then stared at her a moment as she sat in the passenger's seat with her forehead against the window. His hand wanted to be on her knee but he set it on the steering wheel instead and drove them to a home that suddenly felt too small to fit this.

He opened the door for her and watched her silently make her way to the bedroom, and he stood in the living room with his hands in his pockets not knowing what he should do or even what he wanted to do. So he sat for a while watching TV in a daze, and when he turned it off he found he couldn't remember what had been on. She was laying on her side of the bed curled tightly in on herself with her back to where he laid beside her.

They didn't say anything to each other, she didn't turn to him, didn't act like she knew he was there. And he laid on his back blinking at the ceiling still in a haze. "Is this still what you want?" she asked him after a long enough time he thought she'd fallen asleep.

"I'll do whatever you want," he told her because he still didn't have an answer. But there was a sick twisted feeling in his stomach he was trying to ignore.

Her eyes closed as she sighed having hoped he'd say no. She curled tighter around herself pulling away from where he lay at her back. And for what felt like the first time he didn't reach for her.

.^.

At a gentle knock Jughead looked up from where he sat behind the desk of the room the Swords and Serpents used for meetings to see Lane. "You summoned me," she said with not even half of her normal attitude.

"I said please," he told her. And he had, after he'd asked her to meet him after school and she'd done little more than blink. He thought saying please would appease her, make her smile, but she'd only nodded and walked away. She was distant and withdrawn, wasn't coming to the Wyrm but Sweet Pea was there almost every night drinking too much and looking for fights that Fangs kept pulling him away from.

There was something grating about the normality of everything when her world felt so different now. He hadn't come home in several days and she wasn't sleeping for the constant drumming that surrounded her every thought. "What do you want?" she asked in a blunt biting tone she couldn't seem to soften.

Everyone kept asking if she was okay, and because he knew she wouldn't answer Jughead pulled out the map he'd been studying since getting back from the cabin. "These are the places Lodge Industries has bought," he explained motioning to the buildings he'd circled in red.

There was Southside High, Twilight Drive-In, Sunnyside Trailer Park, and now the Register. "He's buying out Riverdale," Lane said feeling the perpetual knot in her stomach twist tighter.

"Starting with the Southside," Jughead said, glad she was seeing it. "I was hoping to go over some other things I've found, get your take on it. See if anything jumps out."

She shook her head trying to clear it, but everything just felt so foggy. "Do we know what he's bringing to Rivedale?"

Jughead smiled at finally hearing the right question. After Lodge bought the Register Betty finally got on board, but before he'd been doing this alone. "Like organized crime," he offered seeing her nod as she stared at the map.

Before either of them could form a follow up response they heard a gruff, "hey," from the hall and they turned to see Sweet Pea, who'd been looking darker and angrier everyday.

Other than in the halls it was the first time she'd seen him since the weekend and she swallowed the sudden need for him to hold her as she turned back to Jughead. "We'll talk later," she said seeing his cautious nod before they left.

…

They existed silently together with what felt like an entire universe between them. She laid on the table wearing her shirt and a gown and he sat at her head only able to see the tip of her nose and her chest as she breathed too shallow, and the unknown female doctor between her legs. It wasn't Dr Schafer, they'd been told he didn't perform these but his colleague did.

Lane stared at the bare wall next to her with that drumming noise pounding in her head, filling her lungs so she couldn't breathe. Squeezing her flooded eyes shut she brought a hand to her mouth trying to stifle the weeping trapped in the back of her throat.

"Do you want to stop?" Sweet Pea was quick to ask her feeling like something had struck him in the center of his chest. She nodded and he looked to the doctor who was waiting. "Get out," he told her softly at first, but when she didn't move fast enough he said it louder.

Hearing the door shut Lane started to cry feeling him come around the table as he helped sit her up. "I know I'm supposed to have all the answers, but I just," she felt him tuck her hair behind her ear, running his thumb over her wet cheek. "I don't wanna do this," she told him in a voice that broke.

"We don't have to," he assured her too readily. He'd known after the first appointment this wasn't what he wanted, but he thought Lane did. And now he was realizing he'd left her again to do this alone. "We'll go home, okay? We can talk about it when you're ready." He pulled her to him feeling her arms tight around his shoulders, still crying. "We'll stop by Pops and get a milkshake," he said trying for anything that'd calm her down. "You can get them all if you want."

"And fries," she added as what felt like a smile pulled at her mouth as she caught her breath.

He ran a hand through her hair ready to get her anything she wanted. "Let's get you dressed," he said helping her down from the table and grabbing her pants. When they were ready he pulled the door open and walked with an arm tight around her shoulders as he waved away the doctor who was asking if they wanted to schedule another consultation to re-discuss their options.

They'd just made their way to the front when they heard a man call, "Ms Vivian." They turned seeing Dr Schafer holding her chart. "Thought you might want to take this home," he said pulling the printout from where it'd been clipped to the folder.

Seeing it was the ultrasound Lane reached a timid hand for it. "Thank you," she told him in a soft manner.

"Everyone's right answer is different, take however much time you need to find yours."

This time it was Sweet Pea to thank him because Lane was choking back another wave of tears, and he led her from the building. They sat in the car for a long while staring at the grainy picture. "What's that?" he asked pointing to something by its head.

"A hand," she told him. "Those are the little fingers." She released a shaky breath and leaned against him, feeling him kiss the top of her head before he started the car. "We can't do this," she said realizing they were now back to not having a plan.

His hand came around her leg and he squeezed. "Today," he added. "We can't do this today. Who knows what we can do tomorrow." For the first time in days he felt like he was really breathing, and though his hands still shook it didn't feel like the world was falling apart. "I'm sorry I put it all on you," he said, now able to see how hard this had been on her. That she was only doing it because she'd felt like she had to. Her answer was her hand over his as she wound their fingers together.

…

At the sound of the car in the driveway Fangs jumped up and met them at the door, seeing Lane holding two shakes. "So?" he asked thinking food was a good sign.

"Stop," Sweet Pea said coming up behind her holding two more shakes as well as a bag. As Lane walked to the kitchen he turned to Fangs. "If you make her cry again," he warned through clenched teeth.

Fangs closed the door after him and followed them to the kitchen to see a large basket of fries in the bag with several small sauce containers filled with pickles. "How many shakes are Lane's?" he thought was safe to ask.

"All of them," Sweet Pea answered dryly. "She informed me in the car we were gonna share mine." His hard eyes found hers and the smallest smile curled on his mouth as he knocked her chin.

They settled on the couch with Lane between them, the boys sharing left over pizza while Lane ate the entire bag of fries and drank half of each of the four shakes that Fangs and Sweet Pea then split between them. Eventually Fangs couldn't keep quiet and asked, "so, are we doing this?"

Both Lane and Sweet Pea fixed him with similar disgruntled expressions. "How exactly are you apart of this, 'we'?" he asked and looked down when Lane smacked his chest.

"He's asking more than you did," she reminded Sweet Pea. But her mind was turning again around the same questions. "We need to figure it out."

Throwing a dark look at Fangs over her head Sweet Pea sat up. "It doesn't need to be today," he told her, wanting to get her to a good enough place that they could talk about this without panicking. "The lady said we've got up until after the birth to decide on adoption, I think we've got a little time."

She wasn't happy about it, mostly because she felt better having things planned out, but he was right. And she really didn't think she would be able to plan anything today, or tomorrow, maybe not even the entire week. So even though it went against her nature, she settled back against him and tried to let it go.

"How far along are you?" Fangs asked with his head on her shoulder.

"Twelve weeks."

It took him a short minute to figure out that was three months and he sat up with his mouth open. "You've been pregnant since Christmas?" He was as clueless as they were in regards to how he felt about that, but he'd seen it clearly in both of them that they hadn't want to get rid of it. He could see in their faces the relief he felt at her not going through with it; he didn't think she would've been okay after that, he didn't think Sweet Pea would've been either.

Lane looked up at Sweet Pea. "Make him stop."

Wrapping an arm around her back Sweet Pea pulled her into his lap. "Leave her alone," he told him, rolling his eyes at the way Fangs grinned.

They all but had to throw Fangs out when Lane was ready to go to bed, and she sat between Sweet Pea's legs as he leaned against the headboard staring at the ultrasound she held. "What are you thinking?" she asked.

"Um," he mumbled looking at the features she'd pointed out to him, that he couldn't really see himself unless he squinted.

She looked up at his blank face and nodded. "Me too," she told him. She settled back feeling his hands light on her stomach, almost shy, as he kissed her cheek.

.^.

Lane was the one with the ultrasound, which she snuck glances at more than often, but Sweet Pea had taken a picture with his phone and he looked at it just as much. He was still trying to wrap his head around that being his, and less often but more than sometimes he still felt sick at the thought of it. It filled him with a panic that only settled when he held her.

They hadn't told anyone but Fangs, Lane had picked a clinic an hour out of town so no one would find out – and they sat going through the motions with something too big between them while everyone else spoke to them like everything was normal. They tried to pretend it was and for the most part they could, but he looked at her one day and suddenly it was different. It didn't hit him until they got to work and changed into their uniforms, and he saw her slide under a car to work underneath it.

He'd gone to Spyder, who'd taken Tall Boy's place in the garage, and within a few minutes Lane was following him into the back office. At someone coming up beside him Sweet Pea turned expecting Lane. "Yeah, she's not happy with you," Spyder told him jerking a thumb to the office she was waiting in.

With his head bowed he closed the door and faced her. "What the hell? Why would you tell him I was pregnant, he's taking me off the floor?" she demanded in a harsh, hushed, voice. From the way he shrugged she knew that'd been Sweet Pea's plan. "This is now my office, I'm basically the office manager this shop has been desperately needing. Do you have any idea how much work I'm gonna have to do to get this place back up to date, do you have idea how backlogged they are." It was work Tall Boy had started her on a while ago, she hadn't particularly enjoyed it.

Sweet Pea shrugged again. "Does it come with a raise?"

"I'm pretty sure you already know the answer," she snapped standing with her arms crossed now close to livid.

Which in turn made him angry. "Look, you said I got a say in this," he told her firmly. "I saw you out there and all I could think was you getting hurt. Alright, this is my say."

She wanted to hit him, to smack some sense into him for going behind her back. "Your instincts," she sighed feeling herself giving in, "though overbearing, are sweet. But next time can we talk about it before you take away my say?"

He took his eyes from the floor to see her gentle, yet still moderately irritated, face and he smiled guiltily. "Yeah," he agreed holding an arm out so she'd step against him, and he held her when she did.

"I don't like working in the office," she grumbled close to pouting.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I love you," he told her, as though gifting her with a consolation prize.

"Shut up," she said not taking it.

.^.

They settled into an uneasy routine, going to school, going to work, going home, doing homework, holding each other. They lived with this unspoken thing between them like they were afraid to say its name, too big for them to hold. But there were little things they couldn't willfully ignore: the puking even though it was thankfully growing less, and more newly she kept getting incredibly dizzy. She scared the crap out of Sweet Pea one day when she almost passed out, after that without fail he stuck close to her side. She might've gotten sick of him if she didn't feel like she needed him there.

"I'm so bloated," she said with a hand over her stomach as she wore the same sweatpants as yesterday because this was the third day in a row she couldn't button her jeans. She looked like she'd had too much eat too many days in a row.

He came up behind her running his hands along her hips until they settled over her stomach. And she waited for him to swear up and down that she was beautiful as he'd been doing anytime he caught her looking at herself – he was being weird. "Would you hit me if I agreed?"

She swiveled around to glare up at him. "Yes," she told him sternly watching him smile as he stepped back, expecting her to slap him. But she sighed pulling on a shirt, finding even that was too tight. "No, I know I am."

He leaned toward her kissing her temple. "Your tits look great," he said and laughed as she smacked his arm, knowing he earned it.

"You're an ass," she said as his arms came around her again.

He was smiling as he hugged her, mostly because he knew it mildly annoyed her. "Love you," he teased feeling her jump then try to twist away as he tickled her.

"Stop," she laughed finding at some point he'd picked her up, and he carried her out into the living room. They'd just settled back on the couch ready to watch something until they got tired when there was a knock on the door.

Sweet Pea was the one who answered it, who always answered it now. "No," he said already refusing when he saw it was Jughead.

"You don't know what I'm gonna ask."

Sweet Pea stood with a hand on the doorframe blocking Jughead from coming inside. "You're trying to take down Lodge, she doesn't need another reason for him to come after her. The answer's no." And with that he swung the door shut and turned to where Lane waited unhappily. "The answer's no," he said again and walked back to the couch.

Releasing a heavy breath Lane pulled the door open and told Jughead, "wait," before she turned to a furious Sweet Pea who was stalking toward her. "That," she raised a finger toward him, "was not a discussion, we will still be having one. I'm gonna go on a walk with him – do not interrupt me," she warned seeing his eyes burn as he closed his mouth. "You know he won't stop asking, so I'm gonna explain why I'm not helping until after we've talked. You're going to use that time to calm the hell down." She took a breath watching his anger wane as he understood she wasn't leaving to help Jughead behind his back. "I heard you," she told him. "And I'm listening."

He took a steadying breath and nodded, honestly loving her so much in that moment. "Okay," he relented and reached for her.

But she smacked him away and grabbed her sweater. "You can be sweet when I get back, I'm still not happy with you." Pulling her arms through the sleeves she stepped outside passing where Jughead still stood on the front step, watching them with a disquiet non-understanding. And she rolled her eyes at hearing Jughead grunt as he was jerked inside and the door was slammed shut.

Jughead found himself flung against the wall as Sweet Pea glowered over him. "We've had a really good day," Sweet Pea told him through bared teeth. "I swear to god if you make her cry they'll be cleaning you off the pavement." Taking a moment longer to consider whether to pummel Jughead now Sweet Pea finally opened the door to let him back outside, meeting Lane's irritated eyes with a smirk. And he watched them go thinking she was safe in their neighborhood, wrongfully assuming Jughead was going to be to the one to bring Hiram Lodge to her. Not knowing that Hiram Lodge had already sent a man after her that night.


	22. Chapter 22

For the length of three houses they walked in silence, Jughead was trying to put distance between them and Sweet Pea. Before Jughead did speak he first looked over his shoulder. "Are you really not gonna help?" he asked knowing she wanted Hiram Lodge gone as much, if not more, than him.

"I'll talk to Sweet Pea about it," she told him, knowing Sweet Pea's mind wasn't likely to change. And to be honest, she wasn't quite sure if she was comfortable with it either.

Jughead didn't like the sound or implication of that. He found himself stuck on the same word he'd thought when Sweet Pea shut them down without listening to either of them – controlling. "Has that been going on since you moved in together?" he asked having always felt a specific responsibility for Lane since she'd first come to the Southside. "If he's making you unhappy in any way,"

"It's been going on since I'm pregnant," she snapped, jumping to Sweet Pea's defense without thinking of what she was saying. It was the first time she'd said that aloud, outright not vaguely suggesting it; and she found that though it scared her, she wasn't so terrified as before.

Jughead thought she was being sarcastic at first, sharing his weird sense of humor. But he looked at her and her eyes were on the darkening sky, and his gaze lowered to her stomach which at that point still only looked like she'd been eating too much. He didn't often find himself speechless but that did it. All he could come up with was, "are you ready for that?"

She stopped walking and turned to him with her face screwed up in annoyance. "Yeah, we decided having a baby at the beginning of my senior year was a great time. Along with the added bonus of there still being someone who wants me dead." But as had been happening more and more recently she regretted the outburst and sighed; she didn't know what part of this was responsible for the sudden shift in her emotions but she was sick of it. "Tell me what you found out and I'll think on it," she said, as close as she'd get to an apology. "If Sweet Pea agrees I'll come back with something."

That explained the subtle possessiveness he'd felt from Sweet Pea in regards to her; it wasn't just Lane he had to worry about now. There was a moment, very brief, that Jughead considered not telling her. "He bought Pops." Jughead knew if there was anyone who could help him unravel this it would be Lane, who'd been wrapped up in this from the beginning.

"Something the Northside will care about," Lane said thinking aloud. She still didn't think this was enough to go after Hiram and win, but it was a start. "What are you gonna do with that?"

He almost smiled though not out of amusement: she knew him well, and she was interested. "I talked to Pops, he asked me not to go public for his mother's sake."

Lane found herself nodding, now understanding. "You were hoping I'd help come up with a new angle." There weren't enough details for her to know anything other than Hiram was planning to take over Riverdale; she didn't know what way, she didn't know how bad, she just didn't know. All she knew was Jughead was only toeing the line, a potentially very dangerous line. "I'll talk to Sweet Pea," she told Jughead, knowing she already planned to help.

They reached the end of the neighborhood and they stopped together, because Lane had noticed Jughead's bike hadn't been in the driveway. "I'll walk you back," Jughead offered.

"Don't you dare," Lane told him sternly. "He's bad enough. I can walk myself." And she left him to walk the two blocks to the trailer park while she went home. The streetlights had come on as the sun had almost completely set, she was close enough she could see their house at the end of the street.

Neither she nor Jughead had paid the old paint-chipped car any mind, it fit in pretty well with the neighborhood. But she noticed it now because when they walked past it'd been on the other side of the street, now it was a few feet ahead of her parked on the side she walked. Unconsciously she brought a hand to her stomach, and reaching a decision she turned into the walkway of the house she was passing.

From behind a tree in the middle of the yard stepped a man in a nice suit she vaguely recognized as being with Hiram Lodge. He came closer with a hand on the gun clipped to his belt watching first as she noticed it and then as she stilled. "This can go a lot of ways, Ms Vivian, but they all end the same." When she didn't move or make to scream he chanced another step closer, and then another. "He only wants to talk, get in the car."

Her mind moved a mile a minute going over every scenario and possible end, the only way she'd get away was banking on him not killing her and she wasn't willing to do that. So she moved to the car letting him open the back door, not finding an opportunity to get the gun away from him, and as she climbed in she felt his hand pull the phone out of her pocket.

She was quiet as he drove with no way out and no way to call for help, wondering how long it'd take Sweet Pea before he went looking for her. This had something to do with whatever Jughead was uncovering, she knew that much, what she didn't know was how much he thought Jughead knew. Or what role Hiram thought she had to play.

When they arrived at the Pembrooke Lane tried the handle and was entirely unsurprised when it didn't open, so she waited for Hiram's man to open it and waved away the hand he held out to help her. He walked a step behind her as he herded her through the lobby toward the elevator, she didn't bother looking to the man behind the desk; help wouldn't come from him.

As the elevator doors closed she turned looking up at the man beside her. "Were you smart enough not to wait in the car or was that him?" she asked, needing to know what kind of credit Hiram Lodge was giving her. When he didn't answer she nodded and turned away. "Good to know." He viewed her as a threat, that wouldn't bode well for her.

The door opened almost as soon as they stood in front of it and Hiram greeted them with a smile. "I'm glad you made it," he told Lane, as though she had a choice. "Follow me."

She stepped into the lush apartment that was now bigger than her home and followed him into his office where she'd forced him into their first conversation. How the tables had turned, she thought she could see that small sense of gloating in his eyes as he sat behind the desk across from her.

"Unfortunately this conversation will need to be brief," he said, as Hermione and Veronica were now on their way home. "I'm going to be very direct: you're a wild card, one I would rather reign in than remove. How ever we proceed from here will be up to you as I don't favor either outcome more than the other." He watched the way she blinked steadily at him as she sat with her hands folded in her lap, no longer in a position of power. Had he the time he might've reveled in it more. "I know Jughead came to you, what I don't know is whether you went back on your word of keeping the particulars of our relationship quiet."

This was damage control, she realized, seeing how much he was up against considering especially how much damage she could cause. The answer was yes, she had told Jughead, but she knew that would end in her dead. "There's one witness with enough emotional attachment to me he'd make a statement not just for a newspaper article but also to the Sheriff, who will more likely than not discover the two men you sent after me," she said, as close as she'd get to admitting she killed them without incriminating herself. It wasn't really an answer, more the vague suggestion of one, but it would make sniffing out her lie that much harder.

And Hiram nodded satisfied with that, with her knowing should he be tried for attempted murder she would likely go down with him. She knew the value of her silence. "Very well," he said making his way around the desk to sit on its edge in front of her. "I need someone close to Jughead with the ability to silence him as I need, as well as keep me informed of his plans. Consider this a trial to see how well we can coexist." He looked down at her empty face and her burning eyes, admitting he knew she had no plans of leaving this town. "You're very quiet," he commented, because this was normally the time she showed her hand was just slightly better than his.

"Now was the time for listening, Mr Lodge," she told him, seeing he was pleased with this answer.

Such a smart girl. She'd controlled both encounters before, had been the one to make a play and left him scrambling for a response: this time he had her beat, though he knew that wouldn't last long. He made a show of looking at his watch. "I'm afraid that's all the time I have. I'll be in touch. It's in your best interest to answer when I call."

Without a word or nod to acknowledge anything he said she stood and pulled the door open, wanting to be as far away from him until she figured out what to do about this.

"Lane," he called seeing her still in the doorway before she turned to him. He held her eye and told her, with an underlying threat, "congratulations."

And he watched her blank face as she responded with a simple, "I'll keep that in mind." He was smiling when she left, enjoying their little game.

She walked with the same man who'd taken her back down to the lobby, past Veronica and her mother who were just now returning with dinner. Lane didn't stop when Veronica called after her, she continued walking to the car and sat in the backseat as she was driven home. She kept her breathing slow and steady and it took all of her concentration, the moment her mind turned to what Hiram said she was on her way to hyperventilating. It was all she could do to keep breathing.

"It's better if he doesn't see you," Lane said when they pulled into the neighborhood. She waited as he let out her again, and again waved the hand he offered away. He gave her back her phone and she stood on the sidewalk watching him climb back into the car, waiting until he turned around using someone's driveway and drove off.

Even then it didn't feel safe, not that it ever had. She walked back home with her arms crossed tight around her and sighed almost defeated at not seeing Sweet Pea's bike in the driveway. Looking at her phone she had several texts that turned from worried to furious, and five missed calls. Not trusting her voice she texted him that she was home, and the fact that he didn't text her back told her how mad he was.

In less than ten minutes he threw the door open and slammed it shut as he faced where she standing up from the couch. "Don't yell at me," she told him. "I will cry."

That made it worse. Not only had he been in a panic for the last half hour she was now using his own feelings for her against him because she knew how much he hated seeing her cry. "Are you kidding me? You don't just disappear without bothering to tell me where the hell you are and then come back and threaten me with – shit," he muttered seeing her eyes fill with tears. "Hey, come here," he said gathering her in his arms. "I'll stop yelling, alright."

"I'm sorry," she told him, letting him think she was apologizing for running off rather than apologizing for the lie she was about to tell. "I just, I needed a little time to think. I don't want to help Jughead for now," she said because she knew hearing that would put him at ease. "We've got enough to deal with." She wiped her eyes feeling his hand on her chin as he tipped her head back.

He looked at her a moment seeing she was fine, assuring himself she was. "Don't ever do that to me again," he told her in a soft voice, but the severity was clear in his dark eyes. When she nodded he pulled her against him and settled with his chin over the top of her head. "I thought he was after you." He was thinking it was good she decided on her own not to help Jughead, because after scaring him that bad and letting him think the worst Sweet Pea never would've agreed to it.

Lane let him hold her, let him think this could be that simple – and all the while she hated herself for lying to him.

.^.

"Can we talk?"

Lane turned from her locker to see Veronica standing beside her. "Do we have to?"

"Please?" Veronica added, and with a sigh Lane quickly grabbed her things and followed her to an empty classroom. "What's going on with you and my father?"

Considering her morning started at two with a round of vomiting, Lane wasn't in the greatest mood. "You try asking him?" she posed instead.

That wasn't the answer Veronica wanted and she was reminded of how difficult Lane could be, especially since Lane had never cared for her. "I did, and he redirected me to you," she answered. "Do you need me to ask again?"

Her first response was unkind and biting, but Lane thought a moment of how to get a step ahead of this. Though it might kill her, Lane was going to need Veronica to think she liked her. "I left something at the house," she said seeing Veronica's brows draw together. "Your dad bought my house, you didn't know?"

"No," Veronica said wondering why her dad hadn't told her that last night when she'd confronted him about why Lane had been there. "What was it?"

"A fishing trophy," Lane answered, wishing to see Hiram's face when Veronica mentioned that. "It was my dad's, I kept everything of his. It's the only thing I can't find, your father didn't think it was there."

Veronica knew what happened to Lane's dad and she nodded. "I'll make sure to ask him about it," she told the other girl, reaching a hand to hers. "I'm sorry, things are just really weird right now. I didn't mean to take it out on you." Veronica could almost understand the way Lane hadn't looked at her the night before, Veronica knew her father and with everything going on he probably made no effort to help.

Lane's eyes rose to the ceiling. "Well it's not like I've made any effort."

"Maybe this can be a start," Veronica said with a small smile, seeing Lane hesitate before she smiled as well. "I'll ask him tonight, see if I can't convince him to go down himself and look."

This time Lane's smile was more honest. "If he hasn't found it tell him I put it in the living room." God she wanted to be there when Veronica spoke to him, because he hadn't mentioned it last night which meant they hadn't found it.

The two girls parted ways and as Lane walked to her next class an arm slipped through hers. "What's that about?" Toni asked, having seen Lane come out of the room with Veronica.

"I'm playing a long game," Lane answered vaguely.

The Lodges were connected to this in some way, Toni could figure that much out for herself, but she didn't know any of them well enough to know exactly how. But she hadn't seen much of Lane the last week and a half and this was probably the longest conversation they'd had in that time. "Is that all you wanna tell me?" Toni asked, trying to lead Lane to say what Toni wanted to hear.

"Since I answered the only question you asked, yes, that's all I want to say," Lane told her, realizing at some point Toni figured it out.

Toni rolled her eyes seeing Lane was being stubborn. "Come on, Lane, between how you were feeling and the way Sweet Pea was acting last week it's pretty obvious."

They reached Lane's class and they stood together as people walked around them. This wasn't the place, or the time because Lane was exhausted and more irritable than she should've been for this talk. "I don't work Sundays, how about we have a girl's day."

"A girl's day?" Toni asked with an amused grin.

Lane shrugged motioning to her shirt. "I have to get new clothes, I'm growing out of everything."

Toni did her best to hide her smile because that was becoming obvious as well. "I'm gonna hold you to that," she told Lane, seeing the way she rolled her eyes. Toni had a lot of opinions on this, but she knew Lane would too; more than that Toni knew Lane probably wasn't talking to anyone else about this.

And Lane wasn't, she and Sweet Pea were dancing around it still too afraid of admitting it. Toni left her with a gentle squeeze to her arm. It was enough to let Lane allow herself to think the day was turning around, but it was naïve of her to have let Sweet Pea soothe her last night, to ever let herself think things could be okay.

In the middle of first period her phone buzzed, and considering anyone who would be calling her either was in class or knew she was, she glanced at who was calling. Her breathing hitched at the sight of the unknown number having thought she'd have a little more time to come up with a plan. Asking to go to the bathroom Lane found her way to the empty student lounge and let the call go to voicemail. She gave it a few minutes before calling back.

"I believe I made myself clear in what I expect of you," Hiram said in the place of hello.

She was walking a dangerously thin line. "Then don't call me when I'm in class." She was testing the waters, trying to find the perimeters he'd set for her so she could better get around them. But before he grew too angry she said, "I'm assuming this has something to do with the piece Jughead wrote on what he found out last night." She didn't know what Jughead found, but she'd gotten a text from him last night saying he had something big.

Hiram took a steadying breath reminding himself of her value; in the end she would either bend or he'd get rid of her. "As I now own The Register,"

"You want me to stop him from publishing it in the Blue and Gold," Lane finished for him. She steered her mind away from the thought of betraying Jughead and tried to come up with the why behind this request. "You're stalling for time, it's a political move."

Beside himself Hiram almost smiled, if she was smart enough to realize she had no way out of this then they'd work well together. "I'll save the threats until you've earned them, you're a smart girl you know what happens if you fail me," he said knowing this job would get done, what he didn't know was what she'd do after. "And Lane, don't make missing my calls become a habit. You will not have many chances."

"Noted," she stated bluntly and hung up. Releasing the breath she'd been holding Lane wilted to the floor covering her crumbling face with her hands. She thought she could handle this as she had everything else, by herself. But he was moving faster than she could come up with a solid plan, there was too much at stake, and at some point she'd gotten used to not being alone.

Gathering herself and her thoughts she stood knowing she didn't have enough of a strategy to go against him now. And she so she moved down the hall and knocked on the door to Principal Weatherbee's office. "Ms Vivian, you should be in class," he said when he saw her.

"Yes," was her simple answer as she moved to stand in front of his desk. "Jughead is going to present you with an article for the Blue and Gold with Hiram Lodge as its sole focus. I realize after stepping down from student council it's no longer my place, but after the last report he wrote had such negative impact on the parents of two students Jughead cannot be allowed to publish this article."

He was quiet as he thought on that, but it ended with the same argument from his last conversation with Jughead Jones. "And when he comes back with his freedom of speech being violated?"

"Outside of school he could away with that, but this time he's personally attacking another student and trying to get away with it through a school-sanctioned paper." This was a point Weatherbee should've arrived at on his own, however she didn't have much faith in that given he allowed what Jughead published last week that bullied Hiram into settling the evictions.

"Okay," Weatherbee said raising a hand to quiet her. "You've made your point. I'll discuss it with Jughead should the time come. Now really, shouldn't you be in class?"

…

After a long day of watching Lane slowly and quietly unravel Sweet Pea was glad to be home. He knew she'd lied to him last night, he also knew at some point she'd tell him what was going on; but seeing her so on edge opened a pit in his stomach that filled with worry. "You gonna tell me what happened?"

Of course he knew, she realized as she stood in the kitchen. "You're not allowed to be mad at me," she responded too quickly. "Also, you're gonna be really mad at me."

"Awesome," he sighed trying to prepare himself. Normally she could handle him, and she did it with ease, but lately she could barely keep a handle on herself. "Alright, I'm ready."

She knew he wasn't, but this was something he'd never be ready for. "Lodge had his man pick me up last night, he wanted to make sure I didn't tell Jughead he was the one with the hit on me." She saw his eyes darken as his hands curled to fists. "He then told me I was going to be his mole within the Serpents, keeping him apprised of ours but mostly Jughead's plans as well as thwarting them as I did this morning."

It was a lot to process and Sweet Pea had never been good at that, his mind wanted to stick on the last thing she said – that she'd actually gone through with it. But he kept circling around the same thought and it had his blood boiling. "He knows?" he asked motioning to her stomach. He almost started shaking when she nodded. "He threaten you?"

Still not trusting her voice she nodded again, struck by a paralyzing fear she couldn't put a name to. Without a word he charged for the door and she was quick to lunge around him and stood with her back against it staring up at him. This was why she didn't tell him. "You can't go after him."

"Get out of my way," he said through clenched teeth. He could've lost her last night, he never should've let her go.

"Sweet Pea," she tried again.

"Move or I'll move you."

She could feel him heaving as he stood with a hand on either side of her, but she called his bluff. He'd never touch her. It left her standing with her back to the door watching him turn, looking for any outlet and finding it in one of the chairs at the table. She jumped when it splintered against the wall and she brought a hand to her mouth at the way he yelled as he kept going until it was nothing more than a pile of wood.

It ended with his hands planted on the table as he caught his breath. His thoughts were a mess, she was the only thing that was clear. There was nothing he could do that wouldn't end in him dead and he couldn't leave her. Feeling her come up beside him he turned his head toward her seeing her wary face. "What's the plan?"

"I don't have one," she told him honestly.

With a sigh he stood upright and moved to her, cupping her face. She didn't know what to do yet, that much he understood, and he didn't know what to do either so he told her the only thing he was capable. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you." And then he was left the thought they'd been too scared to discuss and yet was driving them to do what they were doing now. "Either of you," he added feeling the weight of that settle in his chest. Seeing her eyes soften he wrapped his arms around her, feeling a sense of calm he only ever felt with her.

They were gonna get through this, she hadn't been sure of that before but she was sure of it now. She didn't know how yet but they would. "We now have two problems," she said craning her neck to see his eyes, "which one do we wanna talk about first?"

"Why don't we take the night," he suggested, as he'd been suggesting. They hadn't talked about anything of importance that week and the fact that she wasn't pushing it let him know she wasn't ready to talk either. But he felt her sigh and he knew they couldn't keep avoiding this. "We can think about it all tomorrow and then after work we can see what we come up with."

A crease etched between her brows. "You know my job is now mostly paperwork and phones, right? You're gonna have more to think than me, can you handle that?" she asked playing innocent. Already guessing come tomorrow after work he'd find some other way to stall, and because she didn't want to do this anymore than he did she was gonna let him.

"Well we both know you're smarter than me, figured I'd level the playing field," he said seeing her press her lips together to keep from smiling. "And no, I don't expect you to disagree and say how smart I am."

Still pressing her lips together she nodded stepping back. "It would've been a long night if you were waiting for that." As she turned for the living room she felt his hand smack her ass and she whirled on him drawing her hand back to hit whatever part of him she could reach before he caught her by the wrist. And they laughed in a way that felt so close to normal they almost thought they could be.

They settled back on the couch with him half in her lap and her hand in his hair as she flipped through the channels trying to find something to watch. And Lane stopped on the local news channel that was covering Hermione Lodges' speech declaring her run for mayor, and with it their plans for a prison. Lane helped make that happen.

Before either of them could form a response there was an urgent knock on the door. "I swear to god if that's Jughead," Sweet Pea muttered as he left the comfort of Lane's arms and moved to the door. Unlocking it he opened it just enough to see outside, planning to close it if it Jones again. But his face froze and he called, "Lane," as he swung it all the way open.

Lane had been in the process of getting up but she paused at the sight of Cheryl's tearful face as she rushed over and threw her arms around Lane's shoulders. Awkwardly Lane patted her back, and she looked over at Sweet Pea who could only shrug as he shut and locked the door. "What happened?"

Sitting back Cheryl wiped her eyes and noticed the behemoth in the corner. "Slither away Serpent, your presence isn't needed."

"We're gonna be in the room," Lane said jumping up before either of them could say anything else. She practically dragged Cheryl off the couch and shoved her towards the bedroom, and then she was turning to a scowling Sweet Pea. "There are extra blankets in the closet."

His face hardened further. "She's not sleeping in our bed," he told Lane firm enough it was clear his foot was down on the matter.

But Lane smiled up at him as she rose on her tiptoes to kiss him. "You love me," she reminded him hearing him grumble. Taking the small chance she walked into the bedroom and shut the door. And she turned to find Cheryl on the bed wiping her eyes, still mad at Lane for shutting her out this past week when Cheryl needed her. "Toni told me what happened at the will reading," Lane said sitting on the edge of the bed beside her. "I didn't know your dad had a brother."

"Neither did I," Cheryl admitted, and then scoffed. "But how can I be surprised when the Blossom family is the modern retelling of a Dickensian novel. And now he and mother are plotting against me and Nana Rose." Without much to say Lane gently tucked Cheryl's hair behind her ear so Lane could see her face. Cheryl turned to her looking so fragile and hurt. "I needed you, and you weren't there."

With a sigh Lane nodded, having been so lost in her mind several days ago that when Cheryl asked her Lane hadn't given any thought before she said no. Lane hadn't felt like she could be there for herself, let alone for anyone else. Lane stood and walked to the bedside table grabbing the picture she kept in the drawer. "I'm gonna show you something, it's not an excuse for being a bad friend. But," she took a breath as a realization struck her, "I think it's been so hard for me to say it because other than Sweet Pea you're the only one I really wanted to tell." She sat once more on the bed beside Cheryl, who was now waiting more or less patiently thankful to have something else to occupy her mind with. "Do not judge, or give me any advice – better yet, don't say anything," Lane added thinking that was safer.

With her red brows furrowed she took the picture Lane reluctantly held out to her and she froze immediately recognizing that it was an ultrasound. When her stunned mind finally caught up to the little face she was seeing, which was the only thing she could make out, Cheryl turned to Lane who's eyes stared at it with such a sense of longing. Cheryl had a lot of thoughts, none of them were nice, but when Lane finally looked up Cheryl could see the sliver of fear Lane wasn't able to hide. And Cheryl threw her arms around her feeling the stuttering breath Lane took.

Everything she'd been holding in came flooding back, every thought and emotion. It filled her eyes too full for her to blink away. "You can say one thing," Lane offered, trying to shove it all back down.

"I knew you weren't just getting fat."

It made Lane laugh, which had partially been Cheryl's intention, but it dissolved into tears as Lane was finally faced with the one person she'd always been able to talk to. "I don't want this," Lane said with her head on Cheryl's shoulder and her arms around her back. "It ruins everything." And it did, what little plan they'd made had turned on its head, this was going to be her life and there was still too much in the air. "But it has a heartbeat, and a face," she sniffed, "and a little hand – and I couldn't kill it." She felt Cheryl pull back and run her thumbs along her cheeks to dry her tears, and Lane was left with the same panic she'd felt yesterday. "And then something happened last night and," she shook her head realizing why it scared her so much, "it was all I could think about." Lane swiped a hand under her running nose and looked up at Cheryl's mascara smudged face and started crying again. "And now you came over with a problem and I took it over."

"I'm pretty sure that last one was the hormones," Cheryl said with an arm around Lane's shoulders.

Lane nodded as she tried to stop crying. "I hate this so much," she nearly whined. "I wanna punch myself in the face every time I cry."

"I know," Cheryl agreed, understanding now why Lane had been so uncharacteristically emotional lately. She thought it was Sweet Pea's fault, Cheryl had been very close to breaking them up so she could have Lane back.

Letting Cheryl borrow some clothes to sleep in they settled under the covers, Lane was on Sweet Pea's side because she and Cheryl slept on the same side. She could smell him on the pillow and it made her miss him, which was stupid because she could hear the TV he was watching in the living room.

They talked for a little bit, Cheryl admitted she didn't know what she was gonna do and then Lane distracted her with questions about Toni. Cheryl had felt so alone and vulnerable in Thistlehouse, like the walls had been closing in; coming to Lane wasn't her first thought but it was the one that felt right. And though her mind was filled with dark conspiracies she was able to sleep in relative peace.

Sweet Pea looked up with the door opened to see Lane in one of his shirts, and he held an arm out to wrap around her as she settled against him. "D'you miss me?" he mumbled against her temple.

"You were just out here."

He hummed disbelieving and pulled her closer, throwing the blanket he'd found over her. "You're in my shirt, you were on my side," which he'd seen when he went in to get pajamas, "you missed me."

With a roll of her eyes she responded with an exasperated, "whatever."

Smiling to himself he settled back holding her against him. "Whatever," he agreed softly.

She fell asleep before him and as he'd been doing lately he laid his hand over her stomach trying, and failing, to imagine a baby in any of this. Every point she brought up before he changed the conversation was one he agreed with, and yet the thought of it not being there left him gasping for a breath he felt he'd never catch. He didn't know what the hell they were supposed to do, all he knew was he prepared to do it.

…

The next morning when he woke he was consciously aware of Lane's back against his chest and his arm strewn over her waist. However he also became aware of his hand fitted over the small of her back. Finding himself suddenly awake he sat up just enough to see Lane and Cheryl wrapped around each other as they slept. He didn't know when Cheryl had climbed into the pullout with them but he knew Lane was the one who offered. And so he huffed irritably and removed his hand from Cheryl's back as he rolled over.


	23. Chapter 23

That morning Cheryl stood back feeling like an unwanted third wheel while Lane and Sweet Pea got ready, and then leaned against the side of the couch nibbling on the granola bar Lane gave her as they packed lunch. Which Lane then filled the empty spaces of the bag with various snacks, and all the while Sweet Pea rolled his eyes. "Would it be easier to bring the whole pantry?" Sweet Pea asked her.

"I know you're joking, but yes it would," was her deadpan answer as she wormed one last thing that didn't quite fit.

He popped her on the ass as she passed him and laughed as she reached a hand back smacking him, until his eyes found Cheryl and he remembered she was there. His face straightened and he cleared his throat as they locked up and climbed in the car.

It was quiet as they drove, awkward, as Sweet Pea always felt like Cheryl was judging everything he did. And Cheryl did, but she held her tongue because Lane was aggressively protective when it came to what was said about him.

"I'll drive her home," Lane said when they pulled up to the shop. She knew he planned to do it, not wanting her anywhere near that house after what she told him. But this way she could work through lunch so they could get off at the same time.

He wasn't happy with it but he knew her well enough that she wasn't asking, so as she came around to the driver's side he bent to kiss her. She stared up at him curiously as he pulled away, they normally didn't do much in the way of goodbye – he was being weird again. But before he left he kissed her again, long and deep as his hands fit around her waist pulling her closer.

The mechanized hum of the window rolling down sounded before Cheryl said in a bored tone, "you're not auditioning for a play based on a Jane Austin novel. Can we go?"

With a sigh Sweet Pea stepped back giving Lane an unhappy look. "Why are we letting her stay?"

"I heard that," Cheryl called from inside the car as she rolled the window back up.

Lane sighed clapping his arm as she climbed behind the wheel. They were gonna drive her nuts, Lane could already feel it. "I told him what was going on," she said letting Cheryl know.

Before Lane could continue Cheryl, dramatically outraged, said through clenched teeth, "I told you not your sperm donor." She had to catch herself on the dash from how hard Lane braked.

Not caring for the person honking behind them Lane turned to Cheryl with a deep frown. "You stayed in our house, in our bed, with his girlfriend. Try again." She wasn't offering Cheryl the chance to rephrase, she was telling her she was going to or to get her ass out and walk.

"What did the sperm donor say?" Cheryl corrected herself as kindly as she would ever be able to.

Lane still wasn't happy with it but she was satisfied enough to keep driving. "He said if you want to stay to bring clothes so you don't have to go home, if you ever feel uncomfortable going in alone he offered to take you," which he only did because he didn't want Lane anywhere near Cheryl's family, "and he'd like to split the week into who sleeps in the bed."

Finding herself surprised by how willing he was to this, Cheryl was quiet a moment as she thought. She didn't know how long she planned to stay or even if she could leave Nana Rose to whatever her mother and Claudius were planning, but she had a place to go with people who'd keep her safe if she needed it. "I can agree to those terms," she finally said though she sounding like it might kill her. And with a huff and a roll of her eyes she added, "and you could've done worse."

Lane's brows rose at hearing what might've been the nicest thing Cheryl had said about anyone. "Well he's not going anywhere, so you might as well get used to him," Lane offered only partially joking.

"I will never," Cheryl declared with blunt honesty catching the small curling of Lane's mouth.

Pulling up to the dark looming house Lane put it in park and turned to Cheryl. "We'll pick you up after work. But I'll come get you if you wanna leave sooner." She saw Cheryl's small unsure smile as she thanked her and climbed out of the car, and Lane sat for a moment not moving after she'd entered the house wanting to go after her. But she put the car in drive and left, counting on Cheryl to let her know if she needed her.

…

Without word from Cheryl the entirety of the day Sweet Pea and Lane drove to Thistlehouse and waited outside. Her calls were declined, her texts unanswered. After several quiet minutes Lane climbed out of the car and let herself in hearing raised voices from upstairs.

"It isn't like that, mother," Cheryl said trying to pull the overnight bag she'd packed out of her mother's hands.

But Penelope wouldn't let go. "I've seen the way you two look at each other. Don't think I don't know the dirty things you do behind closed doors. I will not allow it." She caught sight of Lane coming up the stairs and her eyes flared. "You are just like your mother."

"Yes ma'am," Lane told her and jerked the bag hard enough Penelope could either let go or stumble forward. She let go. Lane turned to a teary Cheryl. "You ready?" From behind her a hand grabbed the bag.

"Who have you let into this house?" Penelope said catching sight of the large boy with the dark features as he ushered both Lane and Cheryl downstairs toward the door.

Sweet Pea held a hand on Cheryl's back as Lane walked beside him. Grabbing the handle Lane turned to where Penelope was slowly coming down the stairs, an unsettling sense of unbridled calm in her aged face. "My boyfriend," Lane answered simply. "It's always a pleasure, Mrs Blossom." And with that she shut the door and walked to her car, sliding in the backseat and spreading her arms for Cheryl to lean against her.

He drove hearing every so often a quiet sniff in the back and he'd glance in the rearview mirror to see Lane resting her cheek over the top of Cheryl's head which was tucked against the crook of her neck. After a mellow dinner they sat on the couch watching a movie Sweet Pea found on TV. Cheryl had done it on purpose, he knew she had. Every so often he'd look over Cheryl's head to where Lane sat on the other side of the couch still holding her, and Lane would turn with the faintest of smiles before looking back to the television and he'd sigh finding his arms unbearably empty. And then Cheryl was ready for bed and he sighed again watching the two girls go to his room, to lay in his bed, cuddling with his girlfriend. On top of tomorrow being their only day off and she was spending it with Toni, and now Cheryl.

About an hour after they went into the room Lane came back out and stood over where he morosely sat on the couch. Her gentle hand in his hair got his attention and he looked up seeing her once more wearing one of his shirts. He liked the way she looked in them the way it formed around her curves, more than that he liked how easy it was to pull it off her narrow shoulders. With a sly grin his hands came around her hips pulling her closer, and when he felt she wasn't wearing anything under it his smile grew. "Finishing what we started this morning?" he asked kissing her stomach as he looked up at her.

"What you started," she corrected rolling her eyes. "You only kiss me like that when you want something."

His mouth moved higher as his hands worked one of the sleeves off her shoulder. "In my defense you're always the thing I want." His smile fell as she stepped away.

She pulled the sleeve back up covering herself and shook her head. "She just fell asleep," she told him. "And we both know I'm not quiet." Any other time he would've reveled in the mess he made of her, but it'd been over two weeks since they'd been together and he slumped back with a heavy sigh sulking at the TV. Biting back a smile she walked to the small table set against the wall by the door picking up her keys and looked over her shoulder to see she'd gotten his attention. He was quick to follow.

.^.

They stood in a store where every mannequin had its own baby bump, surrounded by spandex and oversized shirts that Lane felt would look more like a sack, and an entire section of cutesy items like coffee mugs for mothers who wanted to brag. Though that might've been more Lane's attitude about it, not really wanting to be there. She didn't know who judged more high schoolers or the women in this store at the sight of the three teens.

She had several dresses and skirts because she could stomach those, a lot of leggings that would either go below or above her stomach, Toni and Cheryl forbade her from looking at shirts when she proved to be too picky, and Lane was currently looking through bras as she unhappily eyed the jeans with an elastic waist across from her.

The two other girls stuck close together flirting around each other as they help up different shirts deciding if they could see Lane in it. "Is she always this difficult to shop with?" Toni asked as Cheryl shook her head to what Toni picked up. They'd only found four shirts so far and they were all some form of a blouse.

"Lane's difficult, period," Cheryl answered watching the way Toni smiled before she quickly looked away. "She also won't admit she wants it," she said knowing that was part of the reason for Lane's mood today.

Toni nodded as she stood openly staring at the side of Cheryl's pretty face. "Neither will Sweet Pea."

Cheryl looked up, met her eyes, and looked away. "So he does want it?"

"Have you seen him with her?" Toni asked laughing lightly. "I'm surprised he's not driving her nuts." It was almost funny how closely he watched her now. Speaking of which she turned looking for Lane, who Sweet Pea made Toni promise to watch, and found her standing at the jeans talking to a heavily pregnant woman. She tapped Cheryl's arm and pointed and Cheryl's brows drew together the same way Toni's did, and together they snuck closer.

"How far along are you?"

It'd been two weeks since she first went to the women's clinic and somehow that felt both like forever and like it'd been yesterday. "Fourteen weeks," Lane answered.

She nodded remembering that. "Everything's starting to feel too small, that's always depressing."

Lane turned to her with wide eyes. "Yes," she said very seriously, because it was the first time someone was telling her how she actually felt. "My boyfriend keeps telling me I'm beautiful as I wear the same three sweatpants everyday."

"But it's fine because your boobs are bigger."

"Oh my god, yes," Lane exclaimed. "Like he isn't the only one enjoying them."

She laughed fondly at that and nodded again. "My husband's the same way," she said, though her eyes fell to the dark marks that pepped the younger girl's skin from her neck down below her shirt line. "Though he doesn't leave those."

Lane looked down seeing the hickey on her chest and rolled her eyes knowing how many there were along her collar bone alone. "Yeah, he was really proud of himself," she said remembering his grin when she put her shirt on that morning and realized there was no hiding them.

She smiled thinking it was sweet, but she noticed the two girls hanging behind them. "Well, I'll leave you guys to it. Best of luck," she said with a kind hand on Lane's shoulder.

Lane watched her waddle off, realizing that was her future, and turned to Cheryl and Toni who were looking at her strangely. "I talked to a stranger," Lane said sounding confused.

Cheryl nodded. "I know, you live by stranger danger."

Grabbing the things they'd collected she added them with hers and gave a pitiful, "I'm broken," before she headed for the changing rooms with Cheryl and Toni following after her.

Lane pulled off her shirt and turned reaching for one they'd found, in doing so the other two girls saw just how many love bites were hidden under her shirt; they could even see the dark remnants of his teeth in some of them. "You know Fangs was really mad when he found you guys in his trailer."

"I bet," was Lane's uncaring response as she pulled her pants off and reached for a pair of leggings.

Toni held her jeans and tried not to smile as she asked, "when did that pop off?"

Glancing at her Lane saw she noticed the button was gone. "On the car ride over." The shirt had a little too much room in the stomach but it'd do when she got bigger. She pulled that one off and reached for one of the dresses.

"Oh my god," Toni said as she said staring at Lane, who wore a pair of leggings that's waistband was just under her bra. She turned Lane to the mirror at an angle so she'd see her middle. "You look pregnant." It was still very small but it wasn't a pouch at the bottom of her stomach anymore, it was rounded.

Lane still didn't think so but Sweet Pea had. "Yeah we noticed that last night."

Toni's eyes moved to the bruises spread over her chest and smiled. "He obviously loved it," she said seeing the way Lane pressed her lips together.

When she was done she gathered the clothing she wanted and headed for the register, noticing Cheryl who at some point had slipped quietly out of the dressing room. "I am completely against this," Cheryl told Lane seriously, as she'd already told her. But she handed Lane the book she'd found seeing the way it softened her face. "Maybe no answer is an answer."

It was everything Lane wasn't ready to say. Almost timidly Lane reached for the book and gave a quiet thank you before she set everything at the register, including the price tag for the leggings she was wearing because she couldn't make herself get back in those jeans.

After stopping by the pretzel stand, which Cheryl and Toni shared one while Lane got two cups of pretzel bites that she shared with herself, they headed home. The boys were on couch playing a violent shooter game when the girls came in. They glanced at them briefly before turning back to their game, but his mind finally caught up to what he'd seen and Sweet Pea turned back to Lane. She wore black pants that covered her small belly, which was visible from the way Toni had tied her shirt high up on her waist.

"Sweet Pea," Fangs said as they started getting shot at. "Sw-goddammit." The screen flashed game over and he slumped back turning to Sweet Pea irritably, though he quieted when he saw Sweet Pea stand and move to Lane.

His hand brushed the small swell of her stomach as he stared down at her, his dark eyes uncharacteristically soft. "It's the size of a lemon," he told her in a quiet voice. A faint surprised smile formed on her mouth wondering how he knew that. "There's an app," he said and moved to the couch where his phone was. She was only a few steps behind him looking around him as he showed her.

"I'm the one that found that," Fangs piped in. On the other side of the room Toni waved her arms to catch his attention and he followed her and Cheryl to the bedroom, hearing Sweet Pea's quiet voice as he told her it could move its facial muscles.

Toni turned to Cheryl. "Get your things, I'll take you home." She turned to Fangs sternly. "We're gonna let them talk, so keep your mouth shut."

When Cheryl had grabbed the few things she'd brought from the room and the bathroom, the three quietly made their way to the door seeing at some point Sweet Pea had pulled Lane into his lap as she held his phone. "I'm closer to fifteen weeks," she said seeing the dates, she was only two days away from it.

"Wanna see where he is next week?" Sweet Pea asked, even though he and Fangs had already gone through all the weeks. He looked down meeting her wide eyes, seeing her lips just barely parted. "What?"

"You said he." It was the first time of them had referred to it as anything other than…it. He looked almost shy as he scratched at his eyebrow, it made her smile.

Fangs opened his mouth to say something, not sure if he wanted to make fun of Sweet Pea or agree that of course he was gonna have boy, but something. However two surprisingly strong hands pushed him outside effectively shutting him up. And with a grin Toni closed the door behind them.

.^.

He looked at his phone a moment pondering the name that appeared on his screen as he hadn't reached out to her yet for another assignment. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" Hiram asked as he answered Lane's call.

"Jughead decided on a hunger strike to protest you demolishing Southside High," Lane answered, having no pleasantries to offer him.

They didn't need bad publicity or any other Southsiders to join in this protest, the quieter this was handled the better it suited him. But he also knew the value of her support; she had a foot in both north and south sides and had the ability to sway a select few from one side to the other. "I admire your commitment," he told her, knowing she wasn't doing it for herself. "How would you resolve this?" he asked, testing her.

Lane looked up at where Sweet Pea hovered over her seeing he didn't like that. "That wasn't part of our arrangement, Mr Lodge," she told him hearing the rush of air that left his nose on the other end of the phone. After what they were gonna do tonight she needed him to think she was staying within her parameters. "I'd up the demolition timeline," she answered turning away from Sweet Pea's dark eyes. "It will result in a louder protest but it's a quicker end and the sooner it's out of the press the sooner people will forget."

Hiram held the phone to his ear nearly smiling at seeing how well she rose to a challenge. Perhaps this would turn out well for her. "I couldn't agree more."

She heard his smug offer of thanks and hung up, then she turned to Sweet Pea raising a hand to hold off his yelling. "I told you you wouldn't like it," she said seeing that did nothing for him. "He needs to think he's winning."

"By helping him?"

There had been no way to prepare Sweet Pea for her plan, she needed to sneak out from under Hiram and make the bigger move. "Yes," was her simple yet firm answer.

He hated everything about this, that Hiram was using her, that she was going along with it, but mostly because it was his job to protect her and he couldn't. "Alright," he relented, having been bound to her from the beginning. "But you're the one telling Jughead."

…

Posters of Reggie's smug face stared at Lane around every corner. His running for class president was a joke. Though she turned one corner and found herself confronted with the actual face behind the smug boy and he grinned when he saw her.

"You look nice today," he said following her down the hall.

Refusing to look at him, in fear she wouldn't be able to stop herself form ramming her pencil into his eye, she calmly asked, "what do you want?"

He didn't waste a second, because her serpents usually weren't away from her this long. "As you've probably heard I'm running for class president, who better to help me run." He wanted her back, he'd wanted it for a while and this seemed the opportunity he'd been waiting for.

But she wasn't having it, she wasn't having him. "Who better than the Serpent Whore?" she posed throwing his own words back at him with a sharp enough edge to cut. She spotted Jughead and she turned into the student lounge, still feeling Reggie following her.

Only now he was hurt, like he'd been hurt. And he hated every day seeing her smile at that snake and the way he put hands on her. "Since you seem to agree let me ask, do you even know which one of them knocked you up?" He came to a stop when Lane whirled on him and he smirked staring her down. "You're starting to show, Lanie, it's a good look for you. Even your tits are bigger."

Archie jumped to his feet before Jughead could, but Lane beat them both to it. "So's my uterus, Reggie, thanks for noticing," she said in a dangerously level tone.

"That's enough," Archie said standing at her back, seeing Reggie open his mouth to say something else. "Look around you man, they all heard you."

Reggie looked to see four different Serpents all on their feet ready to come after him, her boyfriend thankfully not among him or else he would've been on his ass awhile ago. He turned back to Lane. "I tried to make amends, you're the one who wouldn't have it," he said trying to exonerate himself from all wrong.

But she didn't care enough to comment further and instead let him walk away thinking this was now her fault. With a sigh she turned to Archie. "I suppose I should thank you."

He waited for more but she continued blinking up at him and so he nodded. "You're welcome." It was a physical effort for him not to look down, to see if what Reggie had said was true.

From behind him came a high voice. "This is actually great timing, Lane I was hoping to ask you something," Veronica said turning from Betty, who stood beside her. "I just told these guys I was running for class president, B's my running mate but I was hoping you could act as our campaign manager of sorts."

Jughead laughed from his place on the couch already furious at the idea of another Lodge in a seat of power. "Why are you even asking her?" It was obvious Lane would say no, they all knew she didn't like Veronica.

"Because I'd be the best at it," Lane answered for her. "And I'd sway north and south side votes."

Veronica smiled taking that as a good sign. "You don't have to answer now."

"I will of course need to review your agenda before I agree to anything," Lane said resigning herself to this. What better way to get Veronica Lodge on her side.

"Of course," Veronica quickly agreed. "If you have time now we can over some things. The three of us," she added looking to Betty who stood behind her looking very perplexed at this turn of events.

With a shrug Lane answered, "sure." And Veronica's smile grew.

…

"What the hell?" Jughead demanded when he found Lane after school. He charged toward where she sat in the computer lab with Mac ordering the signs for Veronica's cupcake display.

A large body stepped in front of her and Jughead looked up at Sweet Pea. "Do not come at her like that," he warned, still livid about Reggie. Thanks to a bunch of loud mouths the entire school, including Principal Weatherbee, knew Lane was pregnant. He was looking for a fight.

Which Jughead could see and so he took a breath and nodded, more calmly moving around him to where Lane sat unbothered. "What game are you playing?" he asked knowing her well enough to see she was up to something.

"A long one," Lane answered before pointing at the 'i' in kiss. "Put a heart there, she'll love it," she told Mac and turned to Jughead. "There are a lot of pieces I need to get into place, Veronica's one of the bigger ones." She looked down when her phone buzzed.

Jughead looked from Sweet Pea, who now stood at her back, and then to Mac whose artistic talents she was taking advantage of – she'd told them both something to get them to agree to this, Sweet Pea especially considering how much he hated the Northside. "Care to share?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow."

Her eyes were back on the computer as she pointed at the border she liked best, and Jughead scoffed forgetting how easily she could tear down a person by simply forgetting they were there. "Yeah well I'm asking to know now."

"Back off," Sweet Pea said before he'd finished his demand. "In a few minutes we're gonna leave to hear its heartbeat again for the first time in three weeks, and then we're gonna threaten to kill someone. All around, it's gonna be a good night."

With her eyes still on the computer Lane told Jughead, "you're not ruining tonight for us."

Seeing him nod Sweet Pea turned setting his hands on the back of her chair. "How much longer?" he asked knowing it was gonna be a long drive.

"Just have put in the instructions and pay for it," Lane answered as Mac slid the keyboard toward her. Her fingers flew over the letters as she wrote out what she wanted, and then she was entering in the information of the card Veronica had given her when she asked Lane to do this. "Alright," she said with a hand on Mac's shoulder as she stood. She turned for the door and saw Jughead. "What's boy wonder's number?"

With a sigh Jughead listed it off and watched her walk away with her eyes on her phone. "Who's the next piece?" Jughead asked seeing her still in the doorway.

Telling Archie the signs were ready and to pick them up Lane finally turned to Jughead. "Josie," she answered seeing his brows knit. "You said Mrs McCoy was working for the Lodges, now she's lost her job, Josie will have a bone to pick." She saw him process that and realize she wasn't actually helping Veronica – he still wasn't thinking big picture, he'd get it when she told him tomorrow.

With an arm around her shoulder Sweet Pea led her out of the computer lab and tried to usher her towards the doors. "What are we doing now?" he asked almost sounding like he was whining.

He was excited, that made her smile. "Cheryl asked me to meet her at the gym and I've gotta give Veronica her card back," she said seeing him roll his eyes. "Go warm the car up, I'll meet you outside."

Not giving him the chance to argue she walked away heading for the gymnasium. The Vixens were heading to the locker rooms when she got there, other than Betty, Veronica, Josie, and Toni who were standing in a mildly confused group as Cheryl walked away. She caught sight of Lane and smiled. "Slumber party at my house, you can't turn me down."

"I have to turn you down," Lane regretfully told her seeing her face fall. "I'm sorry, Cher, we've got an appointment. A real one this time." The last one was to see how far along she was and make sure she wanted an abortion.

With a grieved sigh Cheryl nodded giving a soft, "okay." This was part of the reason she hadn't gone back to their house, other than needing to be there for Nana Rose, but they had this life now and she'd felt like she was intruding. Though Lane earned a smile when she tucked Cheryl's hair behind her ear.

Lane let her go and turned to Veronica holding out her credit card. "I told Archie when to pick them up."

"You are a lifesaver," Veronica told her and then wrapped her arms around Lane's shoulder. Only the three girls behind them saw how much that threw Lane for a loop.

Patting her back awkwardly Lane pulled away, and smoothed the front of her shirt as though she were trying to wipe Veronica off. "I really do have to go."

"You're not finding out what it is, right?" Toni asked as quietly as she could, which wasn't quiet at all and both Betty and Veronica – who'd been there when Reggie accused her of being pregnant – let their mouths fall open.

"No, that's next time," Lane told her, seeing the way the two were looking at her.

It seemed to burst out of Betty. "You're really pregnant?"

Lane hummed an agreement and turned to a guilty Toni. "Gossip about it about at the slumber party," she told her before turning on her heel and leaving.

She met Sweet Pea in the car, who didn't even wait til her seatbelt was on before he drove off. They were the last appointment of the day and they sat in the quiet lobby with his arm around the back of her chair and her leaning against him. How different from the last time they were here.

"Ms Vivian."

Sweet Pea followed her into the back office and dutifully looked away as she stepped on the scale, though he peeked at it to see she'd gained ten pounds. She smacked his arm when she caught him, and he followed her and the grinning nurse into the room and sat against the wall as her blood pressure was taken.

When the nurse had gone he stood and leaned against the exam table looking down at where Lane sat. "Did you notice her come around the corner when she saw me?" Lane asked him, and wasn't surprised when he shook his head. But Lane had noticed, and she knew she was right.

They both turned at the door opening to see Dr Schafer who greeted them with a wide smile. "Good to see you both again," he said, noting that they looked happier than their last visit. Before the young man could move back Dr Schafer told him, "nope, dad, you can stand right next to mom there."  
Lane and Sweet Pea shared a horrified look before turning back to the doctor they'd driven almost an hour to see again. He chuckled quietly to himself. "We not ready for that yet?" he asked looking to Lane.

"No," she told him with blunt honesty.

When he asked her she scooted up and laid back lifting her shirt. It took him a little longer this time but he got the angle right and the room was filled with the squishy drumming that'd been playing in Lane's head every second of every day. A strange sense of calm seemed to surround her as she stared at the screen seeing its knees were curled up.

"Is that him moving?" Sweet Pea asked seeing what appeared to be the baby stretching.

Dr Schafer smiled at his use of pronoun, not so sure himself, and nodded. "Sure is. In the next few weeks you might even start feeling it." He watched her turn to the boy with just the faintest smile, one he seemed to return.

He handed her a tissue and Lane cleaned the gel off and sat up, and with Sweet Pea standing beside her they listened as Dr Schafer outlined what to expect in the next several weeks, any alarming signs to look out for. And then he turned to them for any questions, she looked up at Sweet Pea who looked down at her and shrugged. Reaching a silent decision she turned to the doctor and told him, "I drank a lot the first three weeks."

When she didn't elaborate further Dr Schafer nodded. "Very common question," he assured her. "Generally in the first two weeks after conception we see it as all or nothing meaning you would either miscarry or there tends to not be any harmful effects. After the first two weeks there's a small but higher risk of damage. But, your baby is right on track, looking healthy, you're healthy. I'd say we're doing just fine." Her nod was jerky and her eyes were wet, he reached a gentle hand to her shoulder.

Sweet Pea hadn't even thought of that, and he wondered how long she'd been thinking it and worrying. Looking at the way she blinked he thought it might've been a while.

"Something to cheer you up," Dr Schafer said seeing she was on her way to real tears, "we're gonna get you scheduled about a month from now. We should be able to see what we're having. Isn't that exciting?" That seemed to do it, she took a breath and climbed off the table.

"You good?" Sweet Pea asked her quietly as Dr Schafer led them out of the room, this time noticing the woman whose eyes followed them.

Feeling his arm around her shoulders she slung hers across his back hugging his waist. "Maybe I should've asked if the crying would ever stop."

He bent low to kiss the top of her head. "Would you hit me if I agreed?" he asked trying for a joke, though in truth he really wondered that himself.

"No," she said looking up at him seriously. "I'd cry about it."

There was a short pause before his mouth split wide with a grin as he laughed. "I love you," he told her as they made their way to the front.

With a small smile she said, "I know." They stopped in the alcove where a scheduler sat and made their next appointment for the end of April, and then they left.

There was a fast food place across the street from the clinic, Sweet Pea informed her any real stake out wasn't complete without it and it didn't take much convincing for her to decide she was hungry. They were parked at the end of the lot eating their burgers waiting for the counselor to come out. "How'd you figure out it was her?" he asked only just now asking it because his mind was spinning about how it could be any of the nurses who had access to the charts.

"Well Hiram would be looking at someone he could buy, which takes the doctor off the table," Lane mumbled with her mouth full. "And he'd want someone who already had access to me and will in the future in case he wants them to relay any cryptic messages." But really seeing the uncomfortable way the woman had watched her when she came in and when she left today is what made Lane sure they had their gal.

He was about to ask something else when he spotted her coming out of the clinic. "There she is," he said handing her the rest of his burger as he sat up straighter watching for what car she got into. "What if it's not her?"

"Then she's about to have a bad night."

His hand came around her leg as he drove, hanging back like she told him. She seemed to know what he was doing more than he did, he almost wished she was the one driving. Ten minutes and her car pulled into a small unit of townhouses, and three cars behind her Sweet Pea turned in. And he waited at the entrance to the alleyway where the garages were seeing taillights as she waited for the door to open. "Now," Lane told him as she began to pull in.

They parked in front of the closed garage beside hers and left the car running as they ducked into her unit before the door closed. Still unaware she opened the car door and got one foot out before Sweet Pea was on her with his hand around her mouth as he dragged her from the car kicking and muffled screaming. She stilled when she caught sight of Lane standing with her back to the garage door, and then her heart skipped at the cold prick of a knife against her neck and she started to cry.

"Do I need to tell you what happens if you scream, Michelle?" Lane asked in a dull tone wearing a dead-eyed expression. The weeping woman tried shaking her head but it dug the blade into the delicate skin of her throat and she started shaking. Lane looked to Sweet Pea. "Give her a chance."

His hand lowered only to her chin and she opened her mouth to gasp as she begged. "Please, he said he was your father and he was only trying to look out for you."

"Did you believe him or his money?" Lane asked calling bull, and Michelle broke off into sobs again. Lane sighed wanting to believe her, but she knew her father's name was on file and that she'd listed him as deceased. So she nodded and stepped forward, feeling Sweet Pea's dark eyes on her. "You see, Michelle, you told the man who wants me dead the one thing I have to use against me. This isn't a warning, it's your last chance. I'm scheduled four weeks from now, I don't care where you are but you're not gonna be here." She stated it all simply and matter of fact, sounding much bigger than her small frame.

Trying for some semblance of control, because these were teenagers, and Hiram Lodge had assured Michelle nothing would fall back on her – she decided to call Lane's bluff. "They'd find my body, you'd get a life sentence. Think about your baby."

"I'll bury you with the others."

A sliver of ice wedged in her heart freezing her from the inside at how lifeless Lane sounded, at how easily Lane said it. Her whole body trembled as Lane stepped closer.

"If you so much as suggest that I know he bought you I'll make sure you die with my name in your mouth." Lane held her reddened teary eyes seeing her chin quivering. "Can you agree to that or do we need to go over it again?"

She shook her head as much as she could with his hand tight around her jaw and his knife against her throat. "I won't tell him, I swear. You'll never see me again."

Her blubbering continued but Lane had what she wanted and she moved to the garage opener on the wall and hit her elbow against it so that door creaked open. Sweet Pea waited until it was half up before he shoved the woman away from him and walked out with his head still turned her way, making sure she wasn't reaching for a weapon.

But she'd sunk to her knees beside her car crying in full, and Lane stepped forward before Sweet Pea could grab her. Her small feet came around the trunk and Michelle curled into herself. "I won't do anything, I promise. Please."

Lane waited until she was looking up at her, which took longer than she would've liked but given the circumstance she allowed a little patience. "I've been playing his game for a while, it's better to disappear. But if for some reason you're forced to tell him then you need to be gone first."

It took her panicked mind a little time to understand this wasn't a threat, she was offering help. "He was never gonna let me go."

"No," Lane agreed, which was partially why she was here. "He made you a loose end, consider this me tying it." And with that Lane left her there with no other option but to run.

She and Sweet Pea climbed back into their car and drove off into the night. "That was crazy," Sweet Pea said as he drove with one hand on the wheel and the other curled over the top part of her thigh.

Lane nodded though she wasn't buzzing with adrenaline the way he seemed to, there was something warm in her stomach, an aching need. "Am I a terrible person for being turned on?"

"God yes," was his breath of an answer as he pulled up to a red light. His hand crept high on her thigh as he turned to look at her under the red glow, and they smiled.


	24. Chapter 24

The two girls stood in the student lounge taping the giant cardboard cupcake to the sign so that it popped out a little. All in all it was neat and elegant, kind of like Veronica. "This is exactly what I described to you," Veronica said smiling warmly at Lane.

Lane nodded not caring for it or the girl. "You have good vision," she said offhanded and unnoticeably insincere. Betty stood back watching Lane both wary and confused.

"Speaking of that," Veronica said turning to Lane. "You mentioned me needing another voice to rally behind me, one that will catch the attention of most everyone. What do you think about a celebrity endorsement?"

Another piece was falling into place, Lane's pleasant expression was less forced. "Like the Pussycats?" she posed as though she didn't know they'd broken up.

"One Pussycat," Veronica answered. "And she's not a Pussycat anymore." Veronica also left out that she and Josie weren't exactly friends at the present time, Veronica had something up her sleeve in regards to that. "Betty and I talked about a campaign rally, and we were hoping you might put in a good word with the Serpents."

She'd known from the moment Veronica asked her to help with her campaign this was what it'd come down to. "What I asked yesterday about how you plan to help Southside students and what your involvement is in what your parents are doing on the Southside, those are our concerns. And no one's voicing them louder than Jughead," she said looking to Betty before adding, "you need a better answer than the one you gave me yesterday."

Veronica was quick to nod. "Yes, and I would love to work on that with you," which is what she'd told Lane yesterday, that she wanted things to be mutually beneficial for both North and South sides. "But I couldn't help noticing you didn't say no," she commented hopefully.

Blandly Lane answered with, "that's because I didn't."

She smiled so wide her eyes squinted. "Oh I knew you'd help," she said taking Lane's hand in hers and squeezing it. "Okay, so I will talk to our celebrity at practice after school. Are you available at all tonight?"

"No, I've got a club and then I work til six thirty." Which meant Lane would be locking up shop because they closed at six.

Considering that, Veronica told her, "we can go over more details tomorrow." Veronica heard Lane's quiet agreement and noticed the way her pale eyes strayed behind her. T\In turning Veronica saw the vending machine and a soft smile curled on her mouth. "As a show of my gratitude, it's on me," Veronica offered seeing Lane's eyes light up.

Before they reached it Fangs threw himself in front of it. "No," he told Lane firmly with a dodgy look on his face. "Sweet Pea said no junk food til later."

Her eyes hardened seeing he was nervous. "They're friendship chips," she said starting with reasonable but she could feel in the way her hands shook from sudden hunger reasonable wasn't gonna last long.

"How about a friendship banana," he offered pulling out the banana Sweet Pea packed her this morning, along with an assortment of fruits and vegetables. Her face wasn't softening. "Please don't make me call him," he said, which was Sweet Pea's out should she be unreasonable – because he knew her too well to expect her to be anything else.

There was no getting out of this, she should've known this morning how serious he was when he offered her a bottled smoothie with kale in it. "Just give me the bag," she snapped and he immediately held it out to her. "I'll just eat the stupid carrots," she grumbled turning away from him.

Watching the wide eyed boy slip away before she could decide to yell at him, Veronica then turned to Lane. "I'll save you a cupcake."

Lane didn't like Veronica, she never had. But in that moment she heavily considered it as she offered a very sincere thank you.

…

Out of the corner of her eye Josie saw someone lean against the locker beside hers and she turned to see Lane.

Veronica planned to recruit Josie for her campaign after school, which allowed Lane the time to intercept Josie beforehand. "We're not friends and I won't pretend we are," was Lane's blunt start. "But Veronica's a mutual enemy of sorts, given her family's dealings with your mother. I'm throwing a wrench in her campaign – you want in?"

After everything Veronica had done, stealing the Pussycats for Picken's Day, working with her parents against her mother and then lying about it, Josie's answer came easily. "Most definitely."

…

Come lunchtime Lane had eaten all of the snacks Sweet Pea had packed and even stomached half of the green smoothie. It was meant to get her through til work, but she was mostly eating vegetables with ranch and nothing was filling her up. She was so hungry she could kill someone.

"Toni's got your lunch," Sweet Pea said shooing her out of the lunch line and towards the table.

It was some variation of Mexican food which meant tacos or burritos, possibly nachos, and she just felt so let down. With a dramatic sigh she shuffled to where Toni sat with a large insulated bag and sat across from her. "How's Cheryl?" Lane mumbled as she slouched forward with her cheek in hand.

Toni offered a sympathetic smile knowing Lane wasn't gonna be happy when she found out what she was eating. "She's hanging in there, staying with her Nana Rose." She was about to ask if Lane planned to visit at any point, but Lane's face had frozen when she saw what was in the containers Toni packed. "It was Sweet Pea's request," she explained. "I made double because I figured you'd be really hungry."

Cucumber sandwiches, the equivalent of flavorful textured air. Her eyes were dark when he sat beside her with a tray full of nachos. In a low voice she told him, "I wanna rip your face off."

Anticipating that reaction Sweet Pea nodded and leaned over kissing her forehead. "They're good for you," he told her, as he'd told her that morning when she fussed about the food he packed for her. When that didn't soften her glare he continued; "they've got vitamins, something I don't know how to pronounce, and they're good for blood pressure."

Mumbling to herself about her blood pressure being fine, Lane turned away from him rolling her eyes as she grabbed her phone. "I'm making a list of what we're asking Dr Schafer at our next visit. Preeclampsia is number one, because you won't listen to me." She also added gestational diabetes because he kept making comments about watching her sugar.

He was quick to take out what he'd just put in his mouth so he could respond. "Do you know how serious that is?" he asked, having been looking it up and reading terrible things for the last two days.

"Yes, you keep telling me," she said before filling her mouth with the small triangular sandwich. She sat for a moment quietly chewing before she nodded and reluctantly admitted, "it's not the worst." While Toni grinned proudly, Lane turned to Sweet Pea cutting him off before he could tell her again all the terrible things that could happen later in her pregnancy. She was gonna end up hitting him with the book he kept getting this stuff from. "You know if you really want me to eat better it might help if you joined me," she said making a show of looking to his nachos before she faced forward and took another bite.

He looked at the side of her face knowing she was joking, but he reached a decision and pushed the tray away from him then grabbed one of her sandwiches. And she blinked at him surprised, because if anyone could top the junk she consumed it'd be him. "I wasn't serious," she told him.

"I know," he said with a small shrug. "But I am."

Her mind was very quiet in that moment as she stared at him with such warmth. He meant the world to her sometimes. "You really do love me," she only half joked.

But he shrugged again. "I'm just here to get laid."

There was an audible quiet in the few Serpents that sat with them as they waited for her to hit him or say something biting: her usual. But her shoulders shook with laughter as she turned away. In doing so she caught sight of Veronica walking out from behind her cupcake display and running after Ethel. While Lane was turned away Sweet Pea took the chance to spit what was in his mouth into a napkin.

Lane watched Veronica say something to the other girl with a charming smile, it didn't look like Ethel was buying it. As Veronica turned away she caught Lane's eye as she sat with the Serpents, and Lane pointed between her and a retreating Ethel – asking if Veronica wanted her to go after Ethel. Taking a quick moment to consider that Veronica nodded with a pleased smile.

Lane stood to follow, but after a few steps changed her mind and turned back to the table grabbing the container of sandwiches and then leaving. He waited until she was gone before turning to Toni. "I have to find something else these are disgusting," he said grabbing his tray and shoving several cheesy chips in his mouth.

Toni rolled her eyes but held her tongue on matter because it was clear Sweet Pea's not knowing what to do was making him worry excessively. "Well, she likes hummus," she offered.

His face screwed up in a disgusted manner. "Since when?"

"She's Israeli, Sweet Pea, of course she likes chickpeas. And she makes really good hummus," Toni informed him, seeing the way he scoffed. From beside her came a light chuckle and she looked to see Fangs holding his phone. "What?" she asked, but he only shook his head still grinning.

In the hallway Lane looked at the text she received from Fangs, _chickpea_. With no context she shook her head and turned to Ethel, who was waiting impatient and suspicious. "She send you to try winning me over, as if her poor attempt at a bribe wasn't enough?" Ethel demanded with more fervor than Lane thought her capable.

"I'm sure that's her hope but I have a different agenda," Lane answered seeing Ethel's interest peak. When Lane had run student council Ethel had been her number two, she knew the kinds of schemes Lane was capable. "I'm meeting with Josie after school, we're gonna out what Veronica's been doing with her parents. "Want in?"

After everything Veronica and the Lodges had done to Ethel's family, all the ways Veronica tried to make up for it for the purpose of making herself feel better and also throwing it back in Ethel's face, her answer came just as easily as Josie had. "Absolutely."

…

It was all coming together. Hiram's mole was currently packing up her townhouse planning to run, Josie and now Ethel had only needed the slightest push from Lane to develop an entire idea of their own, Veronica was unaware and unassuming, and now all Lane needed to do was keep Hiram believing she was on her leash and to find the best time to involve Veronica. Things were running so smoothly there was bound to be a bump somewhere, and considering the life she and Hiram were playing with was curled inside her Lane wasn't sleeping much.

Opening the door to the Swords and Serpents meeting she saw Jughead leaning against the front desk addressing the visibly riled Serpents. Ten minutes, she was only ten minutes late and they were discussing war. "What's going on?" she asked moving to stand beside the desk Toni sat on.

"We're protesting the demolition of Southside High," Jughead answered as he stared at her. Reaching a thought his eyes narrowed. "It'd serve us better to have you apart of it."

"No."

With an unsurprised huff Jughead turned to Sweet Pea, seeing the stubborn refusal in his dark eyes. "They still see her as a Northsider, to have her there showing support-"

But Sweet Pea stood shaking his head. "You telling me you wanna chain up my pregnant girlfriend?"

Now it was Jughead to shake his head as he gave a quick, "nope," seeing exactly where that road with Sweet Pea was gonna go. "That came out wrong."

Sighing Lane's eyes rose to the ceiling before turning to Toni, who'd been amusedly watching the boys go back and forth. "Does he think chaining themselves to the school is really gonna do anything?" Lane asked her quietly.

"You know Jughead and political statements," Toni said with a shrug not planning to join them. She'd already told Cheryl she'd come see her and Nana Rose at the hospital.

At some point in their discussion Jughead handed Lane the crumpled demolition notice set for the end of the week. No wonder Hiram had been so pleased when she suggested moving up the timeline – he'd already planned to. A sick feeling settled in her stomach as she tried to refuse the thought of them being in anyway similar.

"Did you get my text?"

Lane looked up at Fangs thankful for the distraction. "What about Chickpeas?" she asked still not understanding why he'd sent that to her.

He smiled pointing at her growing belly. "It's what you should call it, your little pea in the pod."

He'd come up with pea in the pod a few days ago and she scoffed now as she had then. But Toni piped in with, "I have to tell Cheryl, that is adorable."

Rolling her eyes at both of them she stepped towards where Jughead and Sweet Pea were still butting heads. "Is there anything else you need to tell us or can this move to the school?" When Jughead answered that he had nothing else at the moment she turned to the others and told them, "clear out, Jughead will meet you at the school." As everyone shuffled out she looked to Toni and Fangs who both stood waiting expectantly. "You too," she told them.

As the last of them left and shut the door behind them Jughead turned to Lane, who now stood with Sweet Pea at her side. "You finally gonna tell me what's going?"

"I told Hiram about your hunger strike, so I guess I'm responsible for this," she said handing back the demolition notice. "And I convinced Weatherbee not to run the paper you wrote on the Lodges' plans for the prison. I'm also gonna tell him about this, but I'll wait til after you're in chains."

She was the wall Jughead kept running against and he looked at her darkly wanting to shake her and yell, put his fist through a wall, something to get rid of this boiling anger. But Sweet Pea was on edge ready to throw him back if he moved, and Jughead glared looking between them until all at once his mind circled around the reason why. "That's where you went that night, he grabbed you off the street." he said feeling the anger slowly slip away. His gaze fell to her small rounded stomach and he suddenly couldn't shake the feeling Hiram going after her again was somehow his fault. "You're trying to get ahead of this," he said now with the baseline understanding of why she was using Veronica.

"I knocked out his key player, he'll figure that out sooner rather than later. Right now I'm working on getting mine into position so I can play her when I need to."

Jughead found himself nodding thinking he knew what she was aiming for. "All the while making Hiram think he still has you."

It was a game of chess with much higher stakes, and she looked up at Sweet Pea knowing the worry of it was keeping him up too. This was going to be the first night in months that she had to sleep without him, in an empty house, alone. "Come on," she told them quietly, "I'll drive you."

Her and Jughead talked amongst each other as she drove, he picked at her plan looking for a way Hiram could turn it against her and sat back satisfied that Lane had as good a chance of winning as she possibly could. She pulled up to the closed down school where everyone else was wrapping chains around the staircase that showed the bright red Lodge Industries sign.

Jughead climbed out of the back and turned waiting for Sweet Pea to join him, only to find him kissing her open mouthed. With a roll of his eyes he stepped away from the car and joined the others.

"You gonna be okay without me?" Sweet Pea asked almost regretting that he wasn't going with her. He knew she was already working late, this would be the first time she closed up shop without him there to keep her company – with everything going on leaving her alone didn't feel right.

But she leaned back with her brows deeply furrowed. "Is that what you think I do when you're not there?" she asked seeing him shake his head as he pulled away. "No really, do you think I sit there and pine after you?"

"Watch it," he warned her, no longer feeling sentimental.

"My beloved Sweet Pea, how will I ever survive without y-," she broke off with a yelping laugh as he started tickling her.

If her ass wasn't in the driver's seat he'd smack it, but he settled for feeling her pushing against him to try to make him stop. It ended in his hands fitting around her waist and pulling her closer to kiss her again. There was a knock on his side of the car and they pulled apart to see Fangs bent over to look inside. "Tell your girl and the chickpea bye and come help us."

Sweet Pea turned back to Lane confused. "Chickpea?"

"That's what he thinks we should call it," she answered mildly irritable.

With a faint smile he fit his hand over her stomach and leaned over to quickly peck her cheek. "It's not bad," he admitted. "You coming by tomorrow?"

A mischievous grin curled half her mouth. "We'll see how happy you are to see me," she said seeing his face fall to one of knowing unease as he climbed out of the car. None of them were gonna be happy to see her tomorrow, it made her laugh.

…

It was dark when she finally got home from the garage, Spyder ended up staying late with her when he noticed Sweet Pea wasn't there. She'd been driving to Pops when Sweet Pea had the luck of calling her to remind her there were leftovers, because he'd known she would try to sneak a milkshake since he wasn't there to stop her.

She was highly unsatisfied eating the chicken and rice she'd made the night before while doing homework, which she finished in under an hour. And she'd just settled back turning on a show she only got to watch when Sweet Pea wasn't around when there was a knock on the door.

FP smiled when he saw her. "Figured you'd be sitting this one out," he said, still unable to get past the shock of Lane – Miss I-have-a-plan-for-everything – getting knocked up. "I come bearing gifts." He raised the hand that held the shake and bag of fries.

Her mouth watered and she opened the door wider. "Then come on in," she welcomed taking both the shake and the bag from him and heading back to the couch. It left him to close and lock the door, and he sat beside her sneaking a fry enjoying the company when his own home was just as empty. Before she went to bed she grabbed a blanket from the closet and a pillow from off the bed for FP as he slept on the couch.

.^.

The next day Lane stood at her locker shuffling the eight different folders of work she'd collected for the boys that'd chained themselves to their old school. It wasn't Jughead's brightest plan in terms of actual results, but it might jar a few Northsiders into questioning the Lodges and their intention for Riverdale. Suddenly a familiar yellow paper was thrust into her face and Lane found herself looking at scribbled slurs and accusations surrounding a picture of Veronica.

"Did you have something to do with this?" Veronica asked staring at Lane, who'd never liked her and she never should've trusted, with impossibly wide eyes. "You've been against me since I got here, then you suddenly decide to play nice. Everything you asked me is on this paper."

Lane shut her locker and turned to fully face the almost shaking girl. She looked so sad, so betrayed. "And you said no to all of it," Lane reminded her as she held the paper back out to her. "So who's lying to me?"

Veronica looked down at the drawing of devil horns and whited-out eyes someone had drawn over her face. "I didn't mean-" her eyes filled with her tears and she rushed away.

That was something Lane hadn't taken into account. The goal was to get Veronica to trust her, and she had, then when this came out Veronica would believe she had no part in it, which Veronica probably did given that she'd been about to apologize because she had in fact been lying. And yet Lane found herself inexplicably feeling guilty.

…

They'd been glad to see Lane at first, someone new to talk to besides the person chained next to them. But they all groaned dismayed at hearing she'd brought the work they'd missed being out of school. And they moped as they sat with their individual folders and textbooks she'd collected.

"I can't believe you did his homework," Fangs grumbled more unhappy that she wouldn't do his.

Lane shrugged while Sweet Pea smirked. "Perks of living with me," she responded pulling out her phone when it buzzed.

"Not the other stuff I do for you?" Sweet Pea posed with a shit eating grin.

It wasn't a number she knew but it was familiar in a way that had her heart quickening. "Hello?" she answered stepping away from the group. Behind her Sweet Pea climbed to his feet not liking the look he'd seen on her face. "Of course Mrs Lodge."

He tore at his chains shoving them off him, hearing her agree to something before hanging up, and he got a hand around her arm before dragging her away. "Not a chance in hell," he said through his teeth when he'd gotten them out of earshot. "You haven't had enough time to think this though. You're not going there just because you feel bad for hurting Veronica's feelings, which I told you you would." Hell he'd chain her to him if it kept her away from that damn family.

"I'll have both Veronica and her mother, I'll be so involved in his family he wouldn't be able to get rid of me even if he wanted to," she told him, which was the thought that slowly came to her when Mrs Lodge asked her to come by. "And if I can figure out how to worm my way into their campaign the entire town will know my involvement with them – even if he dared let his family know what he's done to me he couldn't let the whole town know." With the added sympathy bonus of her being pregnant, the town would hang him if they found out. And from how angry Sweet Pea looked she knew he was trying not to agree. "Baby it works, you know it does."

It was the security she needed. If she somehow swung this Hiram Lodge would never be able to go after her, at least not for years more. The problem was Sweet Pea didn't want her going alone. "Lane,"

"I will call you as I'm leaving," she promised not giving him the chance to say no. She rose to her tiptoes kissing his chin, which was all she could reach when he wouldn't bend down.

Unhappily Sweet Pea watched her walk towards her car and he growled a sigh before marching after her and turning her around to kiss her properly. "I'll yell at you later," he told her before walking back to the chained group. Her mouth was pursed around a smile as she climbed behind the wheel.

…

The knock on the door and her mother's quiet greeting drew Veronica out of her room. Standing in the foyer she found her mother standing with Lane. "What are you doing here?" Veronica asked, minus the accusation, getting their attention.

"I invited her," Hermione answered, having heard her daughter's pain when she'd come home. "If you're serious about running for class president I thought you could use some help."

Veronica looked to Lane. "The flyer is obviously bad for image," Lane told her. "Regardless of what's happening here," she motioned towards Veronica and her mother, "you need to own up to what you're being accused of. If you deny it they'll call you a liar. We need to control the narrative, turn it in our favor, put a positive spin on it. Your mother's the one convincing the town why SoDale is the best move for Riverdale but you," she stepped toward Veronica, "you need to say how this benefits kids our age."

While Hermione smiled pleased to have been right in this girl being a tremendous help, Veronica blinked at Lane stunned. In a sudden rush Veronica stepped to Lane throwing her arms around her shoulders. "I know you don't do hugs but I need a minute."

Lane's arms came around Veronica to awkwardly pat her back until she finally let go. Taking a breath, and a moment to run her hands down the front of her shirt, Lane looked between both Mrs Lodge and Veronica. "If we're gonna go over your campaign I'm starving, and I'm ordering a pizza," she said and pulled out her phone to look for the number.

"Maybe a salad," Hermione offered, her eyes falling to Lane's stomach which was bigger than when she last saw her. At Veronica's hand waving Hermione looked to see her making an exaggerated belly with her hands and mouthing what Hermione understood to be pregnant. "I'm watching my figure," was her small save. And Lane nodded not seeming to notice.

…

The three were sitting at the table discussing strategy around an empty box of pizza and a half eaten container of garlic bread that Lane was more than happy to finish off, when Hiram came home. He paused at the sight of Lane sitting at his table with his wife and daughter.

Hermione was quick to stand and move to his side, finding for some reason Lane being there displeased him. "You girls continue, I'll discuss this with your father," she said giving Veronica a heavy look.

She was taking her side, it made Veronica smile as they went into his study. "On an unrelated note," Veronica started with a sly grin, "if there were to be such a thing as a baby shower thrown for you, who would I talk to?"

Chewing what was in her mouth Lane reluctantly answered, "Toni." Out of the corner of her eye Lane looked at Veronica, who was nodding to herself as thought of what to get her, and remembered a thought that'd been bugging her for days now – none of this was Veronica's fault. Before Lane could think more on that a door opened and both girls turned to where Mr and Mrs Lodge were now making their way to the table.

Hiram sat at the head of it, positioning himself beside Lane. "I do have one question, consider it a test," he said staring at her severely.

"Daddy be nice."

He smiled as though in good nature but his face straightened when he looked to the quiet girl beside his daughter. "How would you explain Veronica's silence regarding her involvement with our dealings?"

Taking his question in stride Lane turned away from him as she thought. He had to know this was a play on her part, but the question he'd picked was throwing her for a loop – was he trying to find out how serious she was in helping Veronica, how useful she was, how far she was willing to go. There was too much left open ended, and she really hadn't meant for him to find her here – yet. With nothing else to do she answered honestly.  
"Say you were waiting for the school hall meeting," Lane said addressing Veronica rather than Hiram. "Given Jughead's obvious agenda against your father and the sensitive nature surrounding this, you wanted to address everyone's questions and concerns in one sitting in the hopes you might avoid being maliciously attacked."

Hermione looked to her husband and smiled. "She's good, isn't she?"

Taking a deep breath Hiram forced a smile to his face. "That she is," he said knowing Lane caught his underlying meaning. "I'll walk you out," he offered not giving anyone a chance to speak further.

While Hermione and Veronica both stared at him questioningly, Lane gathered her things and headed for the door bidding them goodbye as she walked out with him. They climbed onto the elevator and as the doors slid closed he pulled the emergency stop, as the shrill bell rang he turned looming over her. "You're a clever girl," he told her, finding himself once more furiously impressed with her wit.

"Clever is for people trying to give the illusion of intelligence."

His smile was more sardonic than amused. He'd misjudged her, allowed himself to think because of her age she could be easily played – he wouldn't do it again. "I don't appreciate you coming after my daughter."

"Considering you forced my hand by casually threatening my unborn child I think I've been playing remarkably nice, Mr Lodge," she said allowing an edge into her tone. "I did as you asked, I'm keeping you apprised of everything Jughead is doing. But we're getting very close to finding out how far I'm willing to be pushed."

He almost had to remind himself that she'd showed up in his home, was wrapping both his daughter and his wife around her little finger: she was proving to be quite the adversary. It nearly made him smile. "Forgive me for not being intimidated by a sixteen year old, especially one so small."

She was seventeen now but she didn't care to correct him. "Fair enough," she said hitting the button to get the elevator moving again. Sweet Pea reminded her frequently how cute she was with her tiny fists when she was angry, it's why she didn't fight with them. Her greatest weapons were launched from her tongue. As she stepped into the lobby she left him with, "I'm playing nice, Mr Lodge, I'd appreciate it if you tried doing the same."

There were a number of things she could've said but they would've given her away. She was playing the respectful unwilling partner, and she did it so well he almost considered believing it. However when he sat behind his desk in his office he pulled out the number for counselor at the clinic, and his hand curled into a tight fist around his phone at the automated message telling him the number had been disconnected.

…

While watching a mindless show Lane had fallen into an uneasy sleep where she dreamed of a baby crying on a pedestal as she waded through blood trying to reach it. She woke with a start feeling a hand on her head, and she settled when she saw Sweet Pea kneeling beside where she lay on the couch. "What are you doing here?" she asked feeling his cold hand on her cheek.

"Everyone wanted to get coffee and warm up," he answered, and was left with the realization he'd had. "I just wanted to be here." With a sigh he laid his head on her chest breathing in the smell of her, letting her warm him. And gently he snuck his hand over her stomach trying to imagine a baby, now the size of avocado. Most of the time he didn't think he could do this, fewer than that he still felt the urge to run. But in that quiet warm moment with her hand in his hair and the imperceptible beat of her heart beneath his ear, he felt like they could.

.^.

She stood alone in the crowd watching Archie leading the Bulldogs to cut the Serpents loose from where they were chained to the school. Seeing how angry Sweet Pea and everyone else was, how hard they tried to fight, she wondered if the situation was different whether she might've been able to help. And she realized she'd spent all of her time thinking about how to one up Hiram that she never thought of how to help her friends.

"A small victory," Hiram said coming up beside her. He was thankful she was near the back of the crowd so he'd remain unnoticed. But he wanted to see her face while watching this, to gauge her reaction to it. She looked up at him surprised and unhappy before she turned back to her friends who were still being cut loose. She wasn't biting, so he tried a different angle. "You went to the same clinic, that makes watching you easier."

He saw the way she rolled her eyes refusing to look at him. "You bought Dr Schafer, you'd just buy the next one," she said sounding annoyed.

His brows drew together as he openly stared at the side of her face, having not expected that response. The counselor was gone, Andre confirmed it after going to her townhouse last night; but Lane showed no signs of knowing this.  
In that moment the boy she was with caught sight of her standing with Hiram, and he watched the rage settle in Sweet Pea's dark eyes before he turned his back on her. "You didn't tell him this time," Hiram mused sounding pleased.

Her eyes followed him mournfully as he never once looked back at her. Swallowing heavily she looked up at Hiram and said in a strained voice, "if you'll excuse me." She left him there to smile to himself as he watched her walk alone to her car with her head bowed.

They met back at the house and Sweet Pea shut the door after her. "Do you think he bought it?"

"I don't know," Lane answered pulling on the chains still wrapped around his torso until they clattered on the floor. She thought she might've convinced him she hadn't known about the counselor, she could keep up the charade that Sweet Pea was now mad at her, possibly even get the other Serpents to act like she'd been cast out – but this all felt like a guessing game. And this thing inside her, with her being the only thing keeping it alive, was too big for guesses. "If I can't do this," she said looking up at Sweet Pea, "or I think he's making a move, I'm not staying. I'm not willing to risk it."

"Hey," he said taking her face in his hands, "look at me." Her wet eyes finally found his and he told her, "you say the word and we'll leave."

That 'we' did more to her than any declaration of love ever could. She stepped against him feeling his arms tight around her back knowing they'd get through this, together.

* * *

 _And that was the end of episode 16. Also, I can't take credit for 'pea in the pod.' That genius belongs to one of my awesome reviewers, AFANAFAN. Thank you again for that, I love it._


	25. Chapter 25

It was becoming unsettlingly common for Hiram to come home finding Lane with his daughter in these last few days. They were almost always discussing school in some fashion, whether it be homework or Veronica's campaign. It wasn't until he heard Hermione asking Lane's take on her own campaign that Hiram had decided to put a tail on the girl, one with more access to her than the man he currently had watching her.

"What'll you say if someone asks your opinion on the prison?" Lane pitched prepping Veronica and Archie, who was currently absent from the table, for the school hall meeting that night.

Veronica popped a chocolate covered strawberry in her mouth as she thought, that she'd specifically gotten to share with Lane. "I'd tell them they can take that up with my mother, and then redirect to what Archie and I want for the school."

Lane nodded liking that answer, having to remind herself she wasn't supposed to be liking anything with the name Lodge attached to it. "If you can figure out how to make it sound less argumentative it'll be perfect," she said seeing the way Veronica smiled. And behind them sitting elegantly on the couch was Mrs Lodge, who was very pleased with both girls.

"On an unrelated note," Veronica said, something she was saying more frequently as she slowly chipped away at the thick walls Lane surrounded herself with, "I've notice a little distance between you and Sweet Pea, is everything okay?" A little was an understatement they were practically avoiding each other at school now. All the Serpents seemed to be, more often than not Lane was alone, and since most of the people were keeping their distance from Veronica herself she often sought Lane out.

She'd been approaching more personal questions lately and Lane sighed. "We've been better," was Lane's simple, unapproachable answer. She decided to change the subject. "Speaking of boyfriends, where's yours?" she asked looking for his shocking splash of red hair she didn't remember disappearing. "You're smart enough to handle yourself, his mouth's the one I'm worried about."

Chuckling quietly to herself Veronica placed her hand over Lane's. "Let me worry about my Archiekins," Veronica told her, knowing if by then she hadn't taken to Archie that Lane just wouldn't have him. "I promise to groom him to your satisfaction."

His absence told Lane a few different things: boy wonder was tied closely to Hiram Lodge, and Hiram was using him to watch her in an effort to find whether she'd run off her leash because he was surrounded with evidence he couldn't tie her to.

…

Archie sat in the dimly lit study trying not to look confused by what Hiram was asking of him. "Is Lane a threat?"

If only he knew, Hiram mused. "Her father and I worked on a project not too long before his death. It was," he took a breath as though it troubled him, "the unfortunate reason he was killed. The wrong people caught wind of it, I had protection and he didn't."

"She blames you," Archie said seeing Hiram nod. It explained Lane's extreme aversion to Veronica when she first came to town, no matter Ronnie's best effort to befriend her. "Lane has to know it wasn't your fault."

Hiram raised a hand with a gentle smile. "It was a terrible thing, and she was too young to have witnessed it. I do regret that," he paused contemplating the small hidden truth to his words. "But I'm afraid she's using Veronica to get to me, and I worry she'll use the Serpents to help her."

Archie found himself nodding, because that explained Lane's sudden change of heart when before it was arguable whether she even had one. "Anything in particular you want me to look out for, Mr Lodge?" he asked, willing to do this if it meant protecting Ronnie.

A smile hid behind his glittering eyes. "She and I had a sit down not too long ago, ever since she's been distant from the Serpents. I believe this is a ruse and I'd like you to confirm it."

Once more Archie nodded and verbalized his agreement before shaking Hiram's hand. He didn't know what Lane was doing or why but it was bad enough to have caught Hiram Lodge's attention. They left the study and joined the three that stood in the foyer, Lane but mostly Veronica were laughing at what Hermione had craved most when she was pregnant.

"What did we miss?" Hiram asked as he stood beside his wife. The ease in which Lane was able to get along with his wife and daughter was disturbing, as was how well she played her part – there were times, few and far in between, she almost convinced him.

Hermione turned to him still smiling. "Oh, just a few memories of when I was pregnant with Veronica," she answered raising a hand to brush Veronica's hair back. She missed it sometimes, her being little. Lane might've been several years too young but she had as good a plan as a high schooler could, considering she didn't have family. "Well, Lane, you are always welcome."

Lane bid her a quiet thanks and walked with Veronica towards the door. "I'll walk out with you," Archie offered, seeing Hiram's pleased expression.

But Lane called back, "uteruses only," before she shut the door after them.

The two girls walked down the hall towards the elevator, Veronica slipping her arm through Lane's in a way Lane was only used to Toni doing. "I know you're only doing this to get to my father," Veronica admitted feeling the way Lane tensed. "But it's been kinda nice having a friend."

Reaching the elevator Lane pressed the button and waited, having figured out Veronica was too smart to not eventually figure it out; she was honestly surprised it'd taken Veronica that long. But that only served to show her desperation for companionship. Lane didn't know why she did it, everything in her was telling her not to, but there were a lot of thoughts and feelings she'd been having lately that contradicted her nature. "Sweet Pea and I are fine," Lane told her honestly, seeing the way her dark brows drew together. "But as far as your father knows we're not."  
Lane watched the other girl try to process that, that whatever was happening between Lane and her father was close to imploding and yet Lane was willing to trust her. She blinked and her face softened as she threw her arms around Lane's shoulder. "Veronica," Lane whined holding her arms at her side.

"Ronnie," Veronica told her, "my friends call me Ronnie."

With a growled sigh Lane let her keep hugging her, hearing the ding of the elevator as it reached the floor. "We're not friends," she told her sounding irritable.

But Veronica smiled still squeezing her. "We'll get there. And I won't tell him," she said pulling back to look at Lane's searching eyes, knowing this was most likely a test. "I don't know what's happening with the two of you but I know the story he wove about you was a lie; you are many things, Lane Vivian, but irrational is not one of them." She'd known her father was lying about Lane for a while, so she didn't feel too bad going back on their full disclosure agreement when he wasn't upholding it himself. Suspicion of her father had been slowly building with each nefarious scheme, Veronica was starting to realize Lane might be her greatest ally should she ever need one.

Of all the things for Hiram to find out she was lying about Sweet Pea seemed the lesser of it all. And Lane would find out soon enough whether Veronica could be trusted. So Lane nodded and hit the button again so the doors would open. "I'll see you at the meeting," Lane said stepping into the elevator before adding, "Ronnie." She left Veronica with a small smile as the doors closed.

…

Later that evening, after the school hall meeting, Lane sat on the couch watching Sweet Pea pace the length of the living room in quick stomping strides. "Did you see him sitting up there, acting like he was one of them?" Sweet Pea seethed as he reached the wall and whirled around to stalk back across the room.

"I did," Lane agreed in a monotone voice. She might've been sitting on the other side of the auditorium but she'd seen Sweet Pea's face at Jughead's tactfully lackluster response regarding how they'd help the Southsiders. He and Betty were being smart, turning it so they were helping all of Riverdale High not just the Southside – but Lane knew that would only serve to turn Sweet Pea's anger on her.

"Him and his Northside Princess, who acts like she's entitled to the Serpents cause she's screwing our leader's son."

Reminding Sweet Pea that she herself started this as a Northsider wouldn't do anything good for either of them, so she responded with a halfhearted, "I know."

He continued pacing nowhere near done, because beneath the self-righteous anger towards Jughead and Betty was the actual problem he wouldn't address. "It's gonna be the Snake Charmer all over again; he comes up with a plan promising results and it only gets us screwed over."

"And after he doesn't listen to me I'll end up being the one to fix the problem," Lane added agreeing that screwing up was becoming Jughead's pattern.

This was the actual problem, and he couldn't keep his mouth shut this time. "If you can get your head out of Lodge's ass long enough," he muttered just loud enough to be heard.

An anger that was more familiar to him than it was to her set her blood to boiling. "You wanna run that by me again?" she dared.

"No, you don't get to sit there and act like you're above this," he said turning on her as she rose to her feet. "Like you're above me. I've done everything you asked and all it's done is separate you from us. And we sit there everyday watching you rub elbows with the enemy. Goddammit Lane, you're gonna help them win."

Whether or not he was voicing her own concerns she still felt attacked, and because it was him doing the attacking it made her more vulnerable. "Then come up with a better plan," she said finding she was very close to yelling. "Stop shrugging and saying you don't know. Come up with something. What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to back off," he cried, his loud voice echoing off the walls. "I don't want you in his house, I don't want you near his daughter, I don't want you involved in their campaign, I want you back with us."

"That doesn't work," Lane said feeling like she wanted to pull her hair out.

"Then we make it work," he said knowing she could figure it out, she was always the one with the plan. "It's not just you anymore, Lane. This is our life. That's our kid."

She ran her hands through her hair as she turned from him wondering how a stupid school election had become this. "This is the only way I know how to get him off me," she said fighting for calm as she faced him again. "And you still aren't offering any ideas."

She wasn't listening, or he wasn't, this conversation wasn't going anywhere other than downhill and he couldn't do it anymore. "I'll stay with Fangs tonight, how's that for an idea?" Grabbing his jacket he slammed the door after him and headed for his bike.

With a heavy exhale she shrunk and brought a hand to her face not knowing what she was supposed to do, and she just felt so alone. The door was thrown open and slammed shut in such rapid succession that she had enough time to turn and see the dark shape of Sweet Pea before he smothered her against him.

He hadn't made it halfway to the driveway before turning back, feeling an unbearable weight in his chest the more distance he put between them. He couldn't leave her, he'd never been to. "If this is our best chance I can get over doing this a little longer," he said giving in.

And she nodded, because she'd gone over this every way she could think and other than killing Hiram this was what she continued to come back to. "I won't go to their house again," she relented knowing if there was any one thing that scared him most it was that, and she could figure a way around it if it made him feel a little better.

Pulling back to look down at her he told her softly, "I'm sorry." For yelling at her, for holding this in the past several days til he finally exploded, for always leaving her to come up with the solution and tell him what to do – he was sorry for all of it.

"Me too," she told him in return. None of this was easy for him, she wasn't easy, and it left him rising to every challenge and at some point she'd started expecting him to. They came together again holding each other tight enough they could almost feel this thing between them.

.^.

There was a Swords and Serpents meeting after school, which he knew was just a thinly veiled front for the Serpents. But if Lane was still with the Serpents, like she was trying to pretend she wasn't, then she'd be there. So he kept a close eye on her seeing the way they watched her pass them, the distance they kept, the way Sweet Pea refused look at her. And so when Jughead broke character and stood beside her at her locker Archie hovered in the background watching.

"We need you at the meeting," Jughead told her hearing in the deep breath she took she wasn't happy with him being there. "I don't know where Toni is, which leaves you as the only one who can mediate between us and Sweet Pea."

Maybe Toni's what was missing, Lane thought having gone the entire day feeling like something wasn't there. "Fangs doesn't like it either," she said knowing the blowback was gonna come from both her boys.

"All the more reason for you to be there."

Swinging the door to her locker shut so that it clanged harshly she turned to him, seeing a glimpse of red between the rush of bodies as everyone ambled to their next class. It only served to infuriate her more, that boy wonder was there, that Jughead was going against what they agreed on and was possibly putting her in jeopardy. "Here's the thing, Jug" she said stepping closer so that Jughead bent his head to hear her, "I don't care. My opinion is aligned with Sweet Pea's, convince him and I'll go along with it. Otherwise…I still don't care."

Archie swallowed when Lane passed him, her green eyes fixed on him filled with such fire he felt like his skin might blister. He couldn't hold her stare now the same way he hadn't been able to at lunch and he quickly looked away, in doing so he saw how angry Jughead was at whatever they'd said; it hadn't looked like a conversation between accomplices.  
He and Lane might not have been friends but Archie had never had a problem with her, he could still remember a time the three of them used to play together. Jughead referred to it as the time before Lane forgot how to be happy, before her father died. Archie found that the burning in his face was shame.

…

Lane was already at work by the time Sweet Pea got there, she'd been driving and he'd been riding the bus. From the way he stormed into her office she knew the meeting hadn't gone well. "Go take it out on a car, I'm not talking to you until you've calmed down," she told him without looking up from the expense report she was reviewing. But she noticed when the door didn't close again and she looked up to see him still glowering in the doorway. "If you're still mad when we get home maybe I'll let you take it out on me," she offered with a playful grin seeing him shake his head as he left, though she caught the way he smiled as he went.

She'd just gotten through to the right person regarding a specific auto part and was in their hold queue when she heard her name. Seeing it was Jughead and Betty she groaned and hung up wondering why this problem wasn't fixing itself.

"She's working, try again," Sweet Pea told Jughead refusing to let him go back.

But Jughead was standing his ground. "When?" he demanded. "She won't talk to us at school and you guys haven't been coming by the Wyrm. When should I talk to her?"

With a shrug Sweet Pea answered, "that's a personal problem."

"Betty." The three turned to where a visibly unhappy Lane stood in the doorway to her office. When Jughead stepped forward Lane was quick to tell him, "just Betty."

The blonde in question left her annoyed boyfriend and followed Lane into the neatly arranged office. "Why me?" Betty asked as Lane closed the door.

"Because you're the problem," was Lane's brief answer as she sat behind her desk. "Or at least your mother is."

With an irritable huff Betty shook her head. "Yeah, apparently she's Serpent enemy number one."

"What?" Lane asked finding that absurd, and Betty could only nod. "A bunch of drama queens. Lodge and his prison are Serpent enemy number one, then it's Penny, and then maybe your mother. But that's a toss up between her and the ghoulies."

She almost smiled at finding someone with a little sense, thinking maybe Jughead was right in Lane being the one to talk them down. "It's completely ridiculous that's the only reason they're against me."

"And that's the other problem," Lane said almost cutting her off, and she was left with Betty's confused face as she waited for an explanation. And this was partly the reason Lane hadn't cared for many of the people she'd grown up with, the entitlement was infuriating. "Unless you wanna fight I'm not addressing you thinking you're a badass Serpent princess because you take your boyfriend's dick real well, or the fact that you were against the Serpents until Jughead decided he wasn't. Are you cool if we skip over those two very obvious problems in favor of a more civil conversation?" Lane posed staring hard at Betty.

It was clear to Betty that regardless of what Lane was doing with Veronica, she was still very much a Serpent. And Betty found herself both offended and chastised as she nodded. "I can be fine with it if you stop verbally attacking me," was Betty's reasonable counter.

"You came to me knowing I'm a bitch," Lane countered in return seeing Betty's reluctant agreement with that statement. "I'm assuming the reason you're here is to find out how to get us to accept you, is that right?" Lane posed and waited for Betty's confirmation before continuing. "Issue number one: we are not obligated to you because of Jughead. If you at any point are asking what we are or are not doing for you then you are the problem and you need to rearrange your thinking. The second issue is why: on the one hand," she spread her hands across the desk like she was holding each argument, "why should we accept you, on the other why do you want to be accepted? Not rhetorical, I'd like an answer."

Lane's words were still sharp enough to cut but her tone was even, restrained. This was starting to sound an awful like Sweet Pea's argument, less to do with her mother and better articulated but they sounded very similar. Betty regretted letting Jughead bring her here. "I've helped the Serpents multiple times, I"

"And I'm already stopping you," Lane said speaking over Betty, who's face hardened waiting for Lane to say Betty did it for Jughead the same way Sweet Pea had. "You've helped us a whopping two times, and on both occasions the good we saw come out of it was nothing more than happenstance on your part. You're only destroying your cause by throwing your unintentional help in our face like we owe you for it. Next question, why do you wanna be a Serpent?"

Whether or not Betty wanted to admit it Lane made a good argument, and Betty didn't completely agree with everything Lane was saying but she at least had a better understanding of where the other Serpents were coming from. "I want to be apart of this world, I want to see and help things change for the better," Betty answered and watched Lane blink unsatisfied. She threw her hands up exasperated. "Well then why did you join?"

"Because I wanted a family, one who'd die for me the same way I'd die for them. That," Lane cried slamming her hand on the table so that Betty jumped, "is another problem. This is a gang not an outlet to rebel against your mom or a way to get closer to your boyfriend. You're proving our point by thinking our willingness to die for each other is the kind of melodrama worthy of an eye roll. You helped get FP out of prison for covering your cousin's murder. Shit, Betty, your own boyfriend was a drug runner, and his solution to that was cutting a chunk of skin out of the bitch's arm. If you wanna call yourself a Serpent you'd better be ready to die for it."

Betty swallowed heavily wanting to correct some of Lane's assumptions about what she thought of the Serpents, to explain that wasn't the reason she'd rolled her eyes, but Lane had effectively made her feel small and scolded. And then Lane stood coming around the side of the desk and Betty braced herself as Lane set a hand on either armrest so that she hovered over her.

In an almost hushed voice Lane continued. "And if after all that you still want this let me tell you, they have a pretty solid reason for not liking you," she said with her face just inches above Betty's. "But they can also be a bunch of rash idiots. Use as much reason as you want they're not gonna listen to you." She stood upright giving Betty a little room to breathe. "You want in you need to prove it."

It took Betty a moment to understand what Lane was getting at, that she was questioning Betty's commitment while also answering her question. It left her reeling as she tried to keep up. "Thank you," Betty said, though it sounded more a question.

Motioning for Betty to get up Lane headed for the door. "Don't thank me yet, I'm one of the ones you need to convince." She was wholly unsurprised to find both Jughead and Sweet Pea on the other side of the door, Jughead stumbled a little at being caught eavesdropping but Sweet Pea was unapologetic as ever.

"I take it we don't have your vote," Jughead said disappointed. The last thing either boy heard clearly was Lane telling Betty to take it more seriously.

A crease etched between Lane's brows as she looked at him. "I made myself clear," she replied, and when his expression didn't change she looked up at Sweet Pea. "Are we voting for them?" He shook his head and she turned back to Jughead. "Well there you go."

"Lane," Jughead sighed.

But she raised a finger at him in warning. "I have a lot of opinions on this year's candidates one of which is that all parties, present company included, are useless. Quit while you're ahead, Jug."

With a smug grin Sweet Pea left them to follow her into what had become her office, and he had half a mind to lock the door. "My girl's a goddamn Serpent," he said sitting on the edge of her desk. "Is it weird to say I'm proud?"

From where she sat in her chair she looked up seeing a familiar edge to his stare and she shook her head. "We're not having sex in this office," she informed him and watched the way he deflated.

"Come on, Vivian, live a little," he goaded with a sly smile.

But she still shook her head, though now highly amused. "We've only got an hour and a half left, take your hard on back to your car and finish up." She smiled as he tipped her head back to kiss her and rolled her eyes as he left, knowing he was swinging his hips cockily to catch her eye. And he laughed to himself when he caught her staring.

…

He made it home before she did and she barely got the door open before he was pulling her inside and up into his arms as he carried to the bed. It ended with him flopping onto his back happy and satisfied as he caught his breath. Beside him he heard her take a deep breath before sighing. "That's what every guy wants to hear," he said feeling that breath pierce his confidence.

"What?" she asked turning to him confused before she caught on to what she'd done. "No, babe, you were fine."

His brows rose as he laughed lightly. "Fine? That's not any better."

She rolled onto her side facing him trying and failing not to laugh. "It's not you," she assured him.

"I know you enjoyed it," he said, taking advantage of any hard time he could give her. He turned over as well and they laid at the end of their pillows close enough their noses touched. "What is it?"

She sighed again struck with the same feeling as earlier, it wasn't food, and it wasn't Sweet Pea. "I just feel like there's something missing," she said hearing how weird that sounded when she said it out loud. It'd been there for days, she hadn't been able to put the word missing to it and now that she had she could feel it so clearly.

"Like what, you're missing something?" he asked not knowing what she meant.

"I don't know," she said having such a hard time putting words to this. "It's like I want something that's supposed to be here and it's not, and I have no idea what it is. It's gonna drive me nuts."

He pressed a soft kiss to the tip of her nose. "Maybe it's the baby," he offered.

It was as good as anything, and in a way made sense. "Maybe," she said wanting her mind to be off it because she could swear it was on the tip of her tongue. "What were you and Toni fighting about today?" she asked, having forgotten to ask him about that.

He laid beside her stunned as he figured out what Lane was missing, and he'd already told Toni not to involve Lane in anyway. They had enough to deal with besides a missing person. "Nothing."

Almost to the second she was sitting up enough to look at him fully, her brows scrunched up and her mouth frowning. "Well that was a lie."

He hated how well she knew him. "We've got enough going on, you're already too stressed," he told her knowing it wasn't going to be enough.

"You know how this goes," she said seeing his jaw clench. "I'll find out on my own or I'll wear you down. Which one is gonna be?" His answer was to shove her shoulders so that she fell back on the bed, and before she get an elbow under her he'd rolled on top of her and was kissing his way down her neck to her chest. "I'm just gonna ask you again when you're done," she said knowing he was well aware his head between her legs wasn't going to make her forget.  
His mouth moved lower over her small rounded stomach past her belly button and he paused gently pressing his lips to the place he knew the baby to be from the pictures on the app he looked at everyday. Another sigh. "Fine," she grumbled giving in. "I won't get involved."

Kissing the same spot he laid his head on her stomach feeling the kind of love he thought only existed in movies. "Take Lodge out of it, are you happy?" he asked feeling her fingers running through his hair.

"Yes," she answered surprising herself with how little she needed to think about it. But at his quiet, 'me too,' her brows drew together in wonder; there was a thought behind his question and it took her some time before she reached it. "Sweet Pea, I'm not marrying you because I'm pregnant."

A very small smile pulled at his mouth at her figuring out the thought he'd suddenly had. "I never said I wanted to marry you," he said in return.

"We're in high school," she reminded him. Maybe if they were already seniors she might consider it, but that was still a very small might.

"It's a bad idea," he agreed, glad his face was turned away from her because she'd spot his lie immediately. But when she didn't give a response he asked, "you thinking about it?"

"Shut up."

His smile was bigger this time knowing that answer was yes. "A proposal doesn't mean we have to get married just that we will at some point."

He just liked the claim it would have, which she knew wasn't entirely true and a lot of it stemmed from how he grew up and it honestly touched her how invested he was in this that he was already trying to give this kid more than what he had. "I'd tell you no," she said but her voice was softened. She was thinking of what she'd had growing up, or rather what she didn't have. "You worried I'll leave like my mom?"

"No," he answered without hesitation. "You're not a thing like her."

It was nice and all to hear but she still shook her head. "You didn't know her," she said remembering parts of her mother that were good.

Climbing back up to lay with his head beside hers he looked at her uncertain eyes. "I know you," he told her without a single doubt. "And that is why," he started with a mischievous look in his eye, "at some point,"

"I will turn you down," she spoke over him hearing him chuckle as his arms snuck around her to pull her closer. Settling against him she added a rather cheeky, "maybe," feeling him still as he processed that.

.^.

"Lane." The girl in question turned from the direction she'd been walking to see Veronica coming up to her. "Have you talked to Toni at all?" Veronica asked when she reached Lane. Out of everyone who should've noticed it should have been Lane.

Now Lane knew something was going on, that Sweet Pea was keeping something big from her. "What don't I know?"

She'd trusted Veronica with a secret and from the way things were going this was apparently being kept secret from Lane, and Veronica felt like she needed to return the favor. "Toni and I looking for,"

"Nothing," Toni cried having caught sight of the two. Ever since bringing Veronica into this it was like pulling teeth to get her to agree not to bring it up to Lane, at least until Toni talked to her first. "Sweet Pea said no," Toni told Veronica by way of explanation, before she remembered Lane's current plan and that she shouldn't even be near Lane at the moment. "And by no I mean he doesn't care, he's still mad at you," Toni said turning to Lane with wide eyes.

Blandly Lane responded with, "She knows I'm lying to her father about Sweet Pea." As Toni's mouth fell open Veronica nodded proudly. "I," bile rose in her throat and she cleared it, "I trust her."

That was something Toni did not expect, and for the time being she decided not to address it. "Well, we've got it handled so you don't need to worry about it," she said seeing Lane's face turn to stone. "Pretend like nothing's happening."

Lane watched Toni grab Veronica's arm and pull her away wondering what the hell was happening and why no one was telling her. Exasperated Lane turned as though looking for someone and she sighed still feeling that same emptiness that came with something not being there. But her gaze landed on Reggie, who smirked when he saw her, and rolled her eyes before walking away.

.^.

Looking around the sparsely filled library Jughead slowly made his way to the back towards the rows of history books as instructed. And finding the specific book that had been texted to him he pulled it off the shelf and found himself staring at a pair of pale green eyes. He laughed to himself as he pulled out another book to better see her and set them on the empty top shelf. "You're a piece of work, Lanie."

She shrugged offhanded. "You wanna talk to me during school this is how it has to happen, for a little longer at least."

"There an end in sight yet?" he asked knowing the other younger Serpents were getting antsy with her not just befriending the enemy but actually helping them.

That wasn't easy to answer and it was something that couldn't be rushed, but with the way things were going with Veronica and Hiram she had a little confidence. "I have high hopes."

He took that in stride knowing he could sell that to the others, it also helped that Sweet Pea loudly shut anyone and everyone who questioned her intentions down. "You seem to be getting along with Veronica," he mused, having seen them eat together everyday that week, and half of last week.

"She's not," she took a breath as she thought of an adequate description, "the worst." Her voice went up at the end making it sound like a question.

Biting back a smile Jughead nodded. "That's a pretty accurate description," he said, regardless of his own personal feelings for Veronica she was by far the least of his problems. He flipped open his notebook to an empty page and set it on one of the shelves. "So why did Betty think you could help me with Mr Andrew's announcement speech?"

Not caring enough to be offended she answered with a sly, "because I've had access to Mrs Lodge and I know her angle."

His brows rose as a smile curled on his mouth. "Sneaky girl," he said seeing the grin behind the hand she had curled to her chin as she stood on the other side of the bookcase. "Always a snake." How true that was, she had been even before she was a Serpent.

.^.

After an uneventful day Lane stood in the kitchen eating apples and cheese, her post dinner snack that would get her through until her midnight snack, listening to Sweet Pea's story of the Serpents coming to the Cooper's rescue. Mrs Cooper had even sent Jughead home with a thank you to the others.

"So," Lane said swallowing what was in her mouth, "do they have our vote?"

He rolled his eyes snagging one of her apple slices, minus the cheese. "I'll believe it when I see it," he said, not one to go by faith. And from the way Lane smiled at him as she took another bite he knew she was thinking they were similar in that regard.

They both turned at the knock on their door and while Sweet Pea stepped forward to answer it Lane put down the apple in her hand in anticipation. At the sight of Toni Lane released the breath she'd been holding, wondering if she was finally going to be told what they were keeping from her.

"I found what you've been missing," Toni said with a knowing smile as she stepped aside.

Lane's questioning expression melted to one of surprised understanding at the sight of Cheryl, who still wore the blue hospital gown and sweater. In a rush Lane charged forward gathering Cheryl in a tight hug feeling the way Cheryl clung to her. And they stood for a long quiet while with their eyes closed and their arms around each other swaying ever so gently to a song only heard by them.

"Guess I'm sleeping on the couch," Sweet Pea mumbled knowing the three of them would end up in the bed. Beside him Toni nodded, though she figured she'd end up on the couch with him. All the while the two girls stood still wrapped in each other without any want to ever let go.

* * *

 _I really wanted to end this chapter with Lane and Cheryl. But there's actually one small scene at the end of episode 17 where Alice meets with the Serpents to apologize - I have it in my head that Betty had Lane on speaker phone, since Lane couldn't be there. Also, before anyone gets mad about the little bit of hate on Betty this chapter, that is Lane's perception of things; it doesn't mean Lane's right._

 _Also, that was the end of episode 17. I'm getting pretty close to the end of season two, which is when this story will go on hiatus until season three comes out._


	26. Chapter 26

_This chapter goes through both episodes 18 and 19. The line break in the middle is where episode 19 starts. As always, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy._

* * *

It was the first time in over a week that he got to stand next to her in the light of day, and instead of enjoying it Sweet Pea was looking around them like Hiram Lodge was gonna pop up any second and catch them. "You're sure this is okay?" he asked leaning against the locker beside Lane's.

"Veronica knows what to say."

That was something else he wasn't happy about. "And you're sure we can trust her?"

Lane shrugged knowing he was bothered by the fact that she wasn't. "I'm not as sure as I'd like to be but I'm enough that I'm doing it," was her casual answer, and from the deep breath he took she knew he wasn't satisfied.

As she closed her locker he moved so that he was standing in front of her when she turned around, close enough she had to tilt her head back to see him. "What the hell kind of answer is that?"

"Would an arbitrary percentage make you feel better?" she asked instead, biting back a smile.

Which he could see as his face straightened to one of annoyance. "I'll tell you where you can shove your arbitrary percentage," he mumbled as they started walking down the hall, seeing the way she was pressing her lips together. Times like those he wanted to kiss the smile off her face.

Across the hall watching them a little too conspicuously was Archie, who felt a knot twist in his stomach as he thought of what he'd tell Mr Lodge. "How long have they been back together?" he asked looking to Veronica, who'd caught Lane's eye and shared a small smile.

"They had a long talk this weekend," she answered saving the details she and Lane had planned for her father. But she turned to Archie curiously. "Why the sudden interest?"

He hated this part, that Hiram had asked him to keep this from Veronica – he didn't like lying to her. But he was still keeping his word and so he shrugged. "It'd suck if she had to do it alone." He watched Ronnie's eyes melt as she reached up to kiss him, and though he kissed her back his thoughts continued spinning as he remembered what Mr Lodge had asked him to do. Veronica seemed so happy with what was going on with Lane, and Archie wasn't sure but he could swear Lane wasn't forcing it. "I still think it's weird that she's suddenly being nice," he said, driving the wedge Mr Lodge wanted between them. "I just don't want you ending up hurt if she's using you."

With a confused smile Veronica stared up at him with her brows drawn together, thinking he was so sweet trying to protect her. "Archiekins," she cooed reaching a hand to his cheek, "she is using me."

…

"How did she find out?" Hiram asked as he sat with Archie in his study later that day.

Archie didn't like the look on his face, he couldn't put a name to it but there was a sick gleam in his dark eyes. "Lane told her," he answered seeing the sharp breath Hiram took. There was something very wrong with this situation and Archie wasn't happy with it, he had a sinking feeling he was being played. "What's going on, Mr Lodge?"

"That's my concern," Hiram told him. "You've done well Archie. You no longer need to consider her a threat, but I would still like an eye on her to ensure she adheres to that." Though Archie nodded his agreement he wasn't satisfied, Hiram could see it. There was a sudden understanding that came with knowing Lane had blown her cover, as Hiram finally understood her true intentions with his daughter. How foolish he'd been to think Lane could be controlled. Never had he come so close to losing.

.^.

The signed slip from Principal Weatherbee excused Lane from P.E., however Lane wasn't much for twiddling her thumbs in boredom so she'd convinced the coach to let her walk the track field while the rest of the class played some team sport in the larger field beside it. She didn't know how Veronica swung it but Lane was almost happy for the company.

Although Veronica was quiet, her gaze moving to Cheryl's eye-catching red hair and beside her less noticeable was a blonde ponytail. "Is it Betty?" Lane asked halfway through their first lap.

"It's not, not, Betty," was Veronica's quiet answer. There was a look in Betty's cold eyes every time they ran into each other, a disgusted loathing that hurt more than the cruel words she occasionally threw. Veronica had already asked Lane what she thought she could do, but Lane had just about the saddest view on it: she saw people as something to either leave or be taken from her, so she didn't let herself get close. Feeling her mood take a sad turn Veronica opted to change the subject to something easier. "I saw a few of your friends signed up for Carrie, are you not one for musicals?"

Scoffing Lane shook her head. "You don't want me anywhere near that," she told her, seeing just a hint of a smile from the other girl. "Stepping on a cat's tail is a good representation of how I hit high notes," she further said seeing Veronica first smile before laughing faintly.

Veronica knew in some small way Lane had said that to make her laugh, and she slipped her arm through Lane's as they started their second lap. "But you are coming to opening night?" she asked seeing Lane pause a moment to think before nodding. "Does your beau know?"

"He will," Lane stated plainly. The two girls shared a look before they turned away smiling.

Several feet behind them Ethel sulked irritably having used the asthma she'd grown out of as an excuse to sit out most days in gym. But somehow she'd been roped into walking the track with the two girls in front of her chittering in Spanish.

Veronica's smile fell quickly as she was left with the reason she'd asked to walk with Lane. And just barely turning her head she saw Ethel out of the corner of her eye as she shuffled behind them – the reason for Veronica's shift to Spanish. "My dad asked me about you last night."

"And?" Lane asked reserving any reaction until she knew more.

"He wanted to know what you told me," Veronica said, not knowing how he'd found out Lane had told her anything. "I told him what we agreed on, that he'd been fronting your medical bills for the baby and then cut you off unless you agreed to help him with the Serpents. He seemed…oddly amused." The reactions her father had to Lane were unsettling to say the least, and it felt an awful lot like a lethal game of cat and mouse.

After weeks of carefully maneuvering each piece, reclaiming the pieces Hiram had set, the final move had been made. Lane was the queen standing before Hiram, a king with no moves left to play. Checkmate.

.^.

"Hey babe," Sweet Pea greeted and bent to kiss her as she sat working at her desk. Her eyes were hard when he pulled back, he only said hello like that when he wanted something. "You remember I told you me and a few guys were gonna do that thing?"

She took a deep breath before exhaling loudly. "That illegal thing you said was gonna be so much fun? Yeah I remember," she said already knowing where this going.

He knew she was against it, mostly because she thought it sounded more stupid than fun. "I forgot to tell you it was tonight." That wasn't at all true, he'd been waiting until it was too late to cancel in the hopes she'd be convinced.

"No," she told him simply.

He sighed sitting on the edge of her desk. "Come on," he said with what he thought was a charming smile, "we've been planning it for days."

"Is today the only day you can do it?" she posed, and then nodded when he gave no answer. "Then reschedule, or they can go ahead without you." She watched him roll his eyes and she sat back in her chair crossing her arms. "I know I've been forgetful lately, babe, but I know for a fact I told you we were going to their opening night."

This was about how he figured it'd go, but he was stubborn. "We can always go tomorrow."

"I told them we were coming tonight," she informed him firmly seeing the way he clenched his teeth. "They're our friends, you're going to support them." That did nothing for him and he was still pouting irritably. "Fine," she said meeting his hopeful eyes when he turned to her, and she enjoyed dashing those hopes probably more than she should've, "you're going because I said so."

And that settled it. She'd never said that to him before, they'd never gotten to that point, but he was smart enough to know not to test it. He was going with her and that was that.

…

If anything made him feel better as he sat next to Lane in the auditorium watching her roll her eyes as she looked through the pamphlet they'd been given at the door, it was that she was gonna hate this as much as he did. It also didn't hurt that she was wearing a new sweater that clung to her stomach and he thought she looked pretty cute.

"If you don't get your serpentine hand off the back of my chair," Cheryl warned from the other side of Lane, feeling Sweet Pea's hand graze her shoulder as he sat with arm stretched on the seats behind them.

Sweet Pea had just turned dark eyes on the scowling girl when Lane popped her arm with a dull crack. "Knock it off," Lane told her sharply, meeting her burning eyes. "He didn't even deserve it that time."

As the lights flickered indicating the show was about to start they settled back, and Sweet Pea pulled his arm from behind Lane and instead sat with a hand on her leg. Lane didn't make it halfway through the second song before she leaned towards Sweet Pea, who bowed his head to hear her whisper, "what are we gonna tell them when they ask what we thought of it?"

"You forced me to be here, you come up with it," he whispered in return, smirking at the way she frowned as he kissed her temple.

With a sigh she sat back and listened to the song, that was still going. It was almost as bad as when she'd let Fangs and Toni convince her she needed to watch Mamma Mia; the only thing that made this not worse was that it was her friends and she was obligated to like it.

Her head ended up on his shoulder as it droned on, Sweet Pea was easier to entertain so he wasn't as bored as she was but he still turned with a faint smile looking down at the top of her head. Though he would've had more fun with the other guys he didn't wholly regret being there with her either.

"Alright, Carietta, it's time to come out of your closet," Alice called from where she stood on the stage.

The backdrop was lifted to continue the scene, of Carrie on her knees in the closet as she sang. A quiet murmur spread through the auditorium at the shocking display of Midge hanging from the wall surrounded by blood-red words. There was a quiet moment of confusion. But Lane and Sweet Pea were familiar enough with death and blood to know on sight what they were seeing, and as she sat up his hand fastened tightly around her arm.

 _I am back from the dead All those who escaped me before will die… B.H._

"Somebody should help her," Cheryl said as everyone gaped at the scene before them, most not understanding. "For God's sake, help her!"

It wasn't until Alice turned around and screamed that the audience finally understood this wasn't part of the show, and a sense of panic flooded through the room as a few screamed in fear and tried to run.

Getting an arm around Lane Sweet Pea stood pulling her with him and turned to see a swarm of bodies all trying to get to the exit. With Lane anchored on one side of him he reached back grabbing Cheryl and pulled her with them. Everyone was headed for the door, shoving and clawing, a few were crying, some yelling. Sweet Pea didn't have much leverage when one arm was tight around Lane and with his other hand around her wrist he was keeping Cheryl close. When he almost lost his grip he pulled Cheryl to the other side of him and held both her and Lane with one arm and shoved a way through with the other.

The cool night air was a welcome relief that helped establish a sense of calm, at least in Lane as she began to process. Sweet Pea didn't stop until he'd gotten them to the car and he only let go of Cheryl, he still kept a solid grip on Lane not willing to let her go.

"You want a ride?" Sweet Pea asked looking down at Cheryl who then turned to him with wide eyes.

She shook her head as she resumed looking around at the people still streaming out of the school. "I'll wait for Toni," she answered, which was who she was looking for.

"Where's Fangs?" Lane asked scanning the crowd as well for one person in particular.

Beside them stood Kevin, who'd stuck close to the rather large boy as he made an easy path to follow. "You need to give a statement before you go," Kevin told him.

But Sweet Pea turned on him. "Why, so they can try to pin it on one of us?" was his rhetoric demand knowing they'd find a way to blame this on a Serpent. "I'm getting her out of here."

He opened the door for her and shut it after her as she climbed in, that's how Lane knew how shaken he was because he never got the car door for her. Ever. He was quick to turn the radio off, too wound up to listen to anything, so they drove in silence. Her mind turned to the Black Hood who she'd never given any thought to, she'd been on the Southside hiding for his entire reign over Riverdale.

"Did you know her?"

She turned to where Sweet Pea sat behind the wheel with his eyes on the road, asking as a courtesy or maybe trying to gauge how sympathetic he needed to be for her. She knew Midge like she knew most everyone in their grade, she'd grown up knowing her yet never knowing her well. But Midge was nice, probably one of the nicest people Lane knew, and she was suddenly struck with the realization that no one would ever _know_ Midge again – present tense. With a sigh Lane faced forward holding a hand to her stomach and gave a quiet, "yeah."

He thought on that a moment not sure if these were real emotions or pregnancy emotions, but he reached for her hand and set it over his leg giving her something to hold onto. After a while he felt the light weight of her head on his shoulder and he leaned down to press a quick kiss to her forehead.

"I know you're mad I made you come-"

"I'm glad I was there," he said not giving her the chance to finish. Nothing would've happened but the thought of him not being there filled him with the kind of panic it took holding her to cure.

And that's what he did when they got home, held her: they laid on the couch with her back to his chest and his hands on her middle. They were watching something but their thoughts were too loud to pay attention. A knock on the door had them both flinching. Lane sat up letting Sweet Pea climb to his feet to answer it, though she wasn't far behind him. As if she knew.

Fangs stood on their doorstep with red rimmed eyes looking from Sweet Pea to where Lane stood behind him. "Come here," she told him softly holding a hand out to him. Fangs rushed forward bending to hold her, to let her hold him. Sweet Pea closed and locked the door before turning to where Fangs stood in her arms, realizing there was something between them he didn't know.

…

In the quiet hours of the night the three lay in bed wrapped in each other. Lane lay between the boys on her side with an arm slung over Sweet Pea's waist as he lay sprawled on his back, and Fangs had an arm around her sharing her pillow. And it was warm - and for a moment they were safe.

* * *

In the days leading up to Midge's funeral a blanket of snow fell over the town smothering it and everyone that lived there in a silence so fragile they were afraid to break it. Early on the second morning there was a knock on their door, and upon answering it Sweet Pea found Sheriff Keller on their doorstep.

"Morning," he told the gruff boy that stood holding the door close to him as though to slam it, to keep him out. "I'm talking to everyone who was there the night of the musical. Kevin mentioned you and Lane. I'd like you both to come down to the station, give statements."

Sweet Pea was still in his goddamn pajamas, and he had a feeling only the Southsiders were being asked to come to the station. "We went to support our friends, what more is there?"

This hostile response was precisely why they were being asked to come down, along with the general suspicion their kind was never up to any good. Before he could respond there was a quiet voice behind Sweet Pea as Lane moved to stand between him and the doorframe. She was the more reasonable, she'd keep her boy in check. But she was wearing a shirt that fit a little too snug and Keller's eyes fell to her small round stomach, and he understood. The boy's hostility stemmed partly out of need to protect her. Reaching a decision he looked to Lane, who waited expectantly. "Did either of you go backstage?"

"No," Lane said beating Sweet Pea to answering. "We came in, we sat down, neither of us got up until we ran out."

Keller nodded having expected as much. "No bathroom breaks?" he clarified and she shook her head. "Do you see or hear anything unusual or out of place?"

"Only Midge."

He took a step back, glancing up at the boy briefly, and tipped his hat to Lane. "That's all I needed, thank you."

Sweet Pea waited until the Sheriff was back in his car before closing the door. From where he'd been hiding Fangs came out of the bedroom to see Lane against his chest as Sweet Pea held her. Fangs had all but moved in with them, not out of fear or mourning but because he'd forgotten the warmth of a home with people who loved him.

.^.

They were gathered around Midge's casket North and South side alike, joined together in this somber tragedy. Lane stood between Sweet Pea and Fangs breathing steadily so lost in her mind Cheryl's sad song felt like a memory. A hand on hers brought her back and she looked up seeing FP had reached behind him to where she stood. His pull was faint, a gentle offering if she wanted it, and she stepped forward against his side feeling his arm come around her shoulders. To the right of them Jughead remembered the last time the town had come together for a funeral, for a man known to all and loved by most. And he did now what he had seven years ago, he reached for her hand.

A prayer was said for Midge as they lowered her casket and the solemn funeral march dispersed. She stepped away from the Jones boys and moved against Sweet Pea's side as they walked to their car. "You coming with us?" Sweet Pea asked when Fangs split away from them.

"I'll see you guys at home," he said before walking towards Kevin.

Sweet Pea looked down at her wondering if it was about Midge, which Lane had convinced Fangs to tell him, but Lane only shrugged. They turned back the direction they'd been walking and paused at the sight of Hiram stopped only a few feet away from them. "I was hoping you'd walk with me," he said looking only to Lane.

She felt the arm Sweet Pea had around her tighten, and she looked up at him giving a curt nod that had him reluctantly letting go. The further she moved away from Sweet Pea the colder she felt, until at last Hiram had led her away from prying ears and they stood among the gravestones in a thick frozen silence.

"You found a loophole," Hiram said watching the innocent way she blinked up at him. And he wondered why that was such a surprise considering how well he'd known her father.  
She'd only agreed to remain silent on his part in her father's death, they'd never agreed to her silence on what he was doing now. The story Lane told Veronica about the medical bills was essentially a warning shot, it was enough for Veronica to question him not enough to turn her against him – if he didn't back off now Lane would pull the trigger. He'd had a few days to consider it, and his next move, he had too much at stake and she could ruin him.

With a sigh he reached a hand in offering to her. "Can we agree on returning to our first arrangement?" They'd return to their separate lives, coexisting in an uneasy peace.

Until he'd break it as he inevitably would, she thought staring at his hand. But saying that would get her nowhere and so she sighed looking up at his almost pleasant face. And she shook his hand.

A small smile formed on his mouth as he held her sharp green eye seeing she knew it'd never be that easy. "You play a good game," he said letting her go. "In another life I think we would've worked well together, bomboncita." He reached a hand to her chin holding it gently before he walked away.

And she blinked looking after him remembering a time she'd sat at the table doing homework and he'd come around to say goodbye, with a hand under her chin and a soft smile as he called her that; and behind him her father would wait unhappy and suspicious. When he was far enough away she released the breath she'd been holding and turned to see her father's name etched in stone. Feeling a flood of tears she looked to the grey sky and fought to steady her breathing, understanding his silent threat.

Sweet Pea took his first full breath when she finally climbed into the car, his fidgeting hands were around the steering wheel to keep from tearing something apart. "Was that it?" he asked, her having told him at some point Hiram would want to talk to her.

"I won, she told him softly, and she turned to him with wet eyes. "This time."

"You think he'll come after you again?" he asked wondering how long they could do this, if this was what life would be for them in this town.

Lane was left with a feeling she'd had from the beginning; it felt personal. Now she knew why. "The best lies have a little truth: he told Veronica he and my dad had a business deal that a lot of people opposed and that was reason for his death, what I was doing now was just misguided blame."

"What's the truth?" he asked not following along.

"The business deal," she said so soft it was almost a whisper. "He'd come by sometimes to meet with my father, that's why I know him. That's what I saw," she said pressing her lips together feeling her chin quivering. And Sweet Pea could only stare at her helplessly. "My dad was gonna expose him. And now," she looked at Sweet Pea in a way that felt like her world was ending, "I don't think he's gonna stop."

He watched her eyes fill with tears and he leaned toward her taking her face in his hands so she couldn't turn away. "Hey, Lane, look at me," she tried to pull away but he didn't let her, "baby look at me, I'm right here," he said when he finally found her eyes. "You won, it's a good day. Maybe not the best day for it," considering they were still at the cemetery, "but we've got some time. So we do what we've always done, we wait til it runs out and we go from there."

It wasn't the greatest plan but it gave Lane a start, it was enough to wrap her head around. It was enough that she could sit up feeling him wipe the few tears that'd fallen, for her to wipe her running nose, and to put on her seatbelt. It was enough. And she turned to Sweet Pea, who was still waiting until she was okay, and told him quietly, "I miss my dad."

"I know," he said having known what this day was gonna be for her. He reached for her hand and he brought it to his mouth to kiss her knuckles. "How bout we go to the store, get whatever you want, and we'll go home and pig out all day. Yeah?"

She nodded blinking back the water that refilled her eyes and looked out the window as he drove back to their side of town. Finally she got that one deep breath that let her get a hold of herself and she sighed sitting back. "I knew I'd get you to cave on the junk food."

It took him a second to realize what she'd said and he chuckled glancing at her to see the smallest hint of a smile. And in that moment he felt so certain there was never gonna be anyone else for him but her.

.^.

The next day it was back to school as usual, minus the dark foreboding that came with one wrong move foiling all her hard work. Sweet Pea was right, she'd won and maybe this time she could just enjoy it.

But Archie stood at the other end of the hall seeing how easily the other Serpents approached her now, the familiarity and warmth – it was clear they'd never really left her side. He sighed heavily now adding to his plate, that was currently filled with the returned Black Hood, telling Mr Lodge he'd been right.

…

That night Lane sat on the couch watching an old movie, eating some kind of healthy popcorn Sweet Pea picked up from the store that she thought had no flavor. Sweet Pea was with Fangs, who was drinking a little more those days and Sweet Pea was with him to both keep him in check and to provide company because Fangs didn't like drinking alone.

Her phone buzzed and she answered it assuming it was Sweet Pea. "Hello?"

"Lane, I'm gonna ask you to do something and I don't have time to explain."

At the sound of Veronica's voice Lane turned the TV off, and a knot twisted in her stomach at the faint worry she could hear in Veronica's voice. Hiram was off her back for the time being there was no need to continue the ruse of pretending they were friends. And yet Lane still said, "okay."

…

She pulled into the driveway and headed up the walkway seeing the door open as the boy inside had been expecting her. "It was only a matter of time before you came crawling back, Lanie," Reggie said leaning in the doorway smirking. She'd called him from the car telling him if he wasn't home then he needed to get there, otherwise she'd trash his room. And then she'd hung up. He wasn't exactly happy to see her.

But she shoved her way past him looking around the big empty house. "Your parents home?" she asked heading upstairs.

"No." Closing the door he followed her to his room and watched her rifle through his desk for the small box he kept his stash in. "What the hell are you looking for?" he demanded as she emptied the contents to see a mixed variety.

"I'm looking to roofie someone," she answered blunt and to the point.

Speechless wasn't something he often found himself, but he blinked at her stunned before grabbing one of the baggies he knew would do the trick. He also knew it's what had been given to her, he'd been the one to supply to that piece of shit – it's why Reggie had taken it so hard. "You could say thank you," he said as she snatched it from him and walked out of his room.

"There's a time limit, I'm already pushing it," she said rounding the corner for the stairs.

"You look great by the way," he called after her. And she did, her skin was light her hair shiny and full, and sometimes he'd see her and she seemed so goddamn happy. He looked up to see her slowly step back into his line of sight.

He'd been trying, she couldn't deny that. "I still hate you," she told him without malice.

And he nodded knowing he deserved it. "Well you're a Serpent now so I hate you too."

She took a breath, and let it go. "Thank you," she told him before heading down the stairs and back out to her car.

Veronica met her outside the Pembrooke, having waited in the lobby after Lane called to say she was on her way. She directed Lane to the Five Seasons where she was meeting Nick and she sat back steeling herself for what she was about to do. "Did you get it?"

Lane gave a brief, "yup," as she drove.

Settling back in her seat Veronica nodded to herself as her plan slowly came together, all that was left was the execution. "I don't have anything to tie him up with," she suddenly realized.

"Good thing your girl comes prepared," Lane said grabbing the roll of duck tape from the cup holder she'd set it in and handed it to Veronica.

She smiled both grateful and relieved, but her mind stuck on Lane's verbiage. "My girl?"

Pulling up to the front of the Five Seasons Lane told her with forced annoyance, "shut up and get out."

Veronica leaned over and kissed Lane's cheek. "I'll call when I'm ready for you," she said before climbing out.

Pulling into a parking spot Lane cut the engine and waited. It didn't take long for her to get bored, it was dark there wasn't any foot traffic, and she'd already grown tired of the games on her phone. _What are you guys up to?_ she texted Sweet Pea.

Two minutes later her phone buzzed and she looked to see he'd sent her a picture of Fangs, minus his shirt, dancing on a pole. She wondered what Fangs was gonna come home tonight; the clingy one who wanted both of them to hold him, the puking one who needed a bowl next to him because he couldn't make it to the toilet, the giddy one who kept them up until he finally fell over, or blackout already passed out Fangs. _How bout you_ , Sweet Pea texted back.

She looked up thinking of what to say, knowing he'd be beyond furious she not only left the house but was helping in something he would see as dangerous. Her eye caught a quick-moving shadow and she followed it from the street as it darted across the parking lot, it wasn't until he was outside the Five Seasons pulling the door open that she saw it was Archie. _Watching an amusing hostage situation_.

She didn't even get to see his response before her phone lit up telling her Veronica was calling. Making her way to the room she was instructed toshe quietly rapped on the door and was then met with a disheveled and bloody Archie. "You've looked better, Archiekins," she told him in a dull tone.

He scoffed a laugh and took the roll of tape she handed him as she stepped inside. Closing the door he turned to see her moving beside Veronica looking down at Nick. "Why are you here?" he asked Lane, having though if anyone Veronica would've called Betty. Let alone the fact that Lane was here, and Archie knew it wasn't because she was still playing Hiram.

"I called her," Veronica answered. "She was my ride, and my supplier," she further explained, and then a thought occurred to her, "and our ride home." That part was mostly for Lane, because she hadn't asked for that yet.

But Lane had recognized his name when Veronica first called and she was staring down at his unconscious and vulnerable lump of a body with burning eyes. "This is the sick bastard that hurt Cheryl?"

Veronica stepped in front of Lane to get her eyes off him. "Yes and I want to gauge his seedy eyes out just as much, but that's not part of the plan," she said before stepping away.

Lane stood back watching Veronica and Archie tie him up and throw him into a chair, pulling a hood over his gagged face. "Can I at least cut his dick off?"

"No," Veronica told her firmly. She pulled out Nick's phone and dialed his parents, prepared to hold him for ransom.

While she did so Archie moved to stand close to Lane, who looked up at him with a knowing gaze. "He still wants me to keep an eye on you," he told her seeing the flick of her eyes as she rolled them.

"I figured," she muttered more to herself.

Archie was thinking a lot of things about her, mostly that he'd been wrong. "I'll tell him whatever you want me to."

Her eyes narrowed as she searched his face looking for some sort of play, but he only looked sincere. A small smile pulled at the corner of her mouth.

…

After collecting the ransom money and getting rid of Nick, minus the injuries she wanted to inflict, Lane drove the two home and then herself. She settled back on the couch and searched for something else to watch, and not even ten minutes later the door was unlocked then kicked open as Sweet Pea all but carried an unconscious Fangs inside.

Lane grabbed the door as Sweet Pea dragged him to the couch. "Wait," she told him before going to the closet and grabbing a towel, which she then put under Fangs' head in case he threw up like last time.

They turned from where Fangs lay sprawled on his stomach snoring loudly and looked at one another with the kind of gentleness they only reserved for each other. "How was your night?" he asked stepping closer, his hands coming around her hips.

Her hands settled over his chest as she leaned into him, tipping her head back to better see his face. "It was pretty good. Other than dragging him home how was yours?"

"The dancing was fun," he said, having sat at the bar watching him flail out of tune to the music that'd been playing. "I'm pretty sure he met someone in the bathroom. We'll see if he remembers it tomorrow."  
Their smiling mouths met in the middle for a kiss that quickly turned too warm and he pulled her up into his arms feeling her legs wrap around him. "I think he's too drunk this time to wake up," he told her, thinking she'd try turning him down again.

But breathlessly she responded with, "I don't care if he does," before she filled her mouth with his. Feeling that settle in the pit of his stomach he carried to their room and threw the door shut.


	27. Chapter 27

The next morning Fangs stumbled out of the bathroom squinting at the harsh light as he shuffled to the kitchen wanting water. But he stopped in the wide doorway at the sight of Sweet Pea on his knees in front of Lane with his hands on her hips, it made him smile seeing the way they looked at each other. "Saying good morning?" he couldn't keep from asking.

"Sleeping beauty wakes," Sweet Pea mumbled before he kissed Lane's stomach and climbed back to his feet. "Yeah he can hear us now."

His glazed eyes brightened as he stepped forward. "Really?" he asked moving closer to Lane. "Can I?"

She looked at his sweet dopey face and nodded, watching him drop to his knees resting his cheek over her middle. "Hands to yourself," Sweet Pea warned.

Fangs was quick to drop his arms back to his side, his aching head slow to come up with what to say. "Hey chickpea," he figured was a good start. "It's your uncle Fangs. We're all really excited to see what you are. See if you're really a boy."

Lane looked at where Sweet Pea stood on the other side of the kitchen and she raised a shoulder suggestively. "It could be a girl," she said seeing his face scrunch up.

"What are we gonna do with a girl?" he demanded.

It was her face to scrunch this time as she asked, "what are we gonna do with a boy?"

"Get used that kid," Fangs said still kneeling in front of her, feeling their voices too loud inside his head, "they argue all the time. But they still love each other."

That quieted them. "Do you think it hears us arguing?" she asked aloud, and then another thought came to her. "Does it hear us swearing? We swear a lot. Maybe we should stop," she said turning to Sweet Pea.

He licked his lips trying not to smile. "Shit you're right," he responded seeing her face straighten irritably. "Oh damn, babe, that one slipped out. Son of a bitch, I did it again didn't I?"

"I swear to god, Sweet Pea," she muttered stepping around Fangs, who was now wincing at the volume in which they spoke.

"Really Lane?" Sweet Pea said with a hand on his chest like he was appalled. "You're gonna teach our kid blasphemy?" He laughed as she smacked him and pushed him out of the kitchen towards the door, telling him to get his ass in the car. "What was that, mom, get my what in the car?"

With a miserable sigh Fangs trudged after them grabbing his book bag and shut his eyes against the sun as he locked the door behind him. His eyes were still closed as he fell into the backseat with a groan. "Please turn the radio off."

With a sigh Sweet Pea watched Lane do as requested and he backed the car out of the driveway heading for the trailer park. As they waited for Jughead and Toni he started tapping the beat of the song that'd been on, and not long after he heard Lane beside him start singing the part he was at, and not long after that Sweet Pea joined in singing the harmonies.

"I don't really hate you guys," Fangs grumbled from the back, "but I hate you guys."

The two in the front seat shared a grin at the way they tormented the hung over boy in the back. But Sweet Pea watched her pull out a ziplock bag of cereal and start eating it by the handful. "Did you open the box and just pour it in there?" he asked, having watched her open it that morning.

"Don't judge me," was her immediate response. "This is your fault, you did this to me."

His brows rose as he continued looking at her, thinking she looked very pretty that morning. "Well maybe next time you'll keep it in your pants," he said and smiled at the hard edge behind her eyes.

She jerked the bag of cereal away from the hand he was reaching. "Jackasses don't get cereal," she told him seriously.

"How bout a kiss?" He watched her continue facing forward, being stubborn as usual, but he saw her take too deep a breath before she turned and pressed a chaste kiss to his awaiting lips. A slow smile spread over his face as she leaned back and held the bag out to him in offering.

From the backseat Fangs rolled his eyes. "I changed my mind, I really hate you guys." He raised a hand to his face trying to block out the sun. "Jesus, Jones, could you be any louder."

Jughead paused where he stood holding the door open. "I'm not even in the car yet," he said mostly to himself as he climbed in. "I knocked on Toni's trailer, she didn't answer."

"Oh," Lane said as a memory resurfaced, "she's with Cheryl."

Taking an audible breath Sweet Pea turned to Lane. "You also forget to tell me we're picking them up?" he asked rhetorically, because at that point Lane was even forgetting to be mad at herself for forgetting everything. He stared at her straight-faced and unamused as she fluttered her lashes at him, and he told her dryly, "I get it, you're the world's cutest pain in the ass."

"That you love," she added, hating how stupid she was constantly feeling now.

Putting the car into gear he shook his head and quietly agreed, "very much," as he began driving to Cheryl's house.

…

He found Lane standing with her back against the lockers beside Sweet Pea as he riffled through his own. "Can I talk to you?" Archie asked, reaching a hand to her arm to get her attention before he quickly pulled away.

Giving Sweet Pea a look that kept him quiet Lane followed Archie to an empty classroom. "What's going on?"

"You asked me to let you know what Mr Lodge was doing," Archie said standing close enough to her he didn't have to raise his voice above a whisper. "The new sheriff is someone he knows personally, is that the kind of stuff you want to know?" He watched her cautious face slacken. "What does that mean?"

She shook her head stepping away from him, trying to find a breath to fill her lungs with. "Nothing," she told him and walked back to where Sweet Pea was waiting for her. She looked up at him feeling a sick twisting dread settle in her gut.

…

The sound of the door opening wasn't enough to get Jughead's attention because he'd called a meeting and he expected it. But the sound of it closing had him turning to where Lane stopped in front of the desk he was sitting on. "What's going on with you and Archie?" he asked thinking Veronica was strange enough but now Lane had Archie.

"I'm not really sure yet," Lane answered honestly. "You know about the new sheriff?" she asked getting to the point before anyone else showed up.

Scoffing a laugh Jughead nodded. "That Hiram has him in his back pocket, yeah I know." He watched Lane closely seeing her deeply knit brows and her hands covering her stomach as though to protect it. "Sweet Pea said you're out from under him, what didn't you tell him?"

"It's just a feeling," she said looking up at Jughead. "And I've got a lot of feelings right now and most of them are because of the hormones, so I'm having a hard time figuring out what I need to pay attention to." She couldn't tell Sweet Pea until she knew anything for sure, and so far Jughead was only other person who knew Hiram's specific interest in her.

She wasn't out from under Hiram, none of them were. "He's got the Register, he's building on North and South sides, he's aiming for the mayor's office, and now he's in the sheriff's office," Jughead said tallying it all like he knew she had. "It feels like he's closing in on all sides." It'd been happening for some time and only now was he looking up and realizing Hiram Lodge's name and hands were on everything. It was like a blanket steadily growing too warm and they were just now realizing they were suffocating.

Her sigh was almost defeated, having hoped she'd been wrong in feeling like he was surrounding her. "He approached me after Midge's funeral," she told Jughead, as she hadn't told Sweet Pea. "He took me to my dad's grave, asked to go back to our first agreement." She was looking at him with pleading eyes, begging him to tell her she was wrong.

But he couldn't, because Jughead knew the _first_ agreement was the one Hiram made with Tall Boy seven years ago. "Lane, that sounds like he's planning another hit." He could see in her eyes this was the feeling she'd been hoping was just hysteria. She needed to go back into hiding. And this was just the worst timing. They both turned at the door opening to see Toni and a few other Serpents come in. "I'll talk to my dad, and we'll meet with you and Sweet Pea and come up with a plan," he told her in a hushed voice. "Until then, keep your head down."

"He's not our only problem," Lane said reading it in his face. She sighed when he shook his head and stepped away from him before anyone could ask what they'd been talking about. Her face was pleasant when she turned to Toni. "Things seem to be going well with one Cheryl Bombshell."

Feeling a smile too wide spread across her mouth Toni tried to shake it off. "Maybe I'll tell you about later," she said with a cheeky grin.

"Maybe Cheryl already did," Lane said in return, trying for a smile.

Toni didn't notice it was strained, but Sweet Pea did as he came to a stop beside her. He raised a concerned hand to her cheek, seeing the same cagey look in her eye as he had after she talked to Archie that morning, as he had after she talked to Hiram at Midge's funeral, as he had the night Hiram's guy picked her up off the street and then again the next day when she finally told him about it, as he had after Hiram's guy took a shot at her, as he had before they killed Hiram's guy together – the common denominator, Hiram. So Sweet Pea didn't believe her when she told him it was nothing and she'd tell him later, but everyone was there and Jughead was calling the meeting to begin. He resigned himself to later.

Jughead stood leaning against the front desk facing the group of them. "War Baby called my father and I from Shankshaw. Our old adversaries, the Ghoulies, have been released." He watched that settle in them, the look Sweet Pea and Fangs shared, the hand Lane held over the swell of her stomach, the breath they took as though to prepare themselves. "Word on the street is that they want Serpent blood. They're gunning for a rematch. They want war."

Before Lane could think of the ramifications that would come from that the door was thrown open and they all turned to see an angry group of Bulldogs led by Reggie, who looked at them with eyes burning.

"Which one of you reptiles was screwing Midge Klump?" he demanded looking from where Lane stood to where Sweet Pea was positioning himself in front of her.

Lane felt a hand on her shoulder pulling her back. "What the hell is going on?" Jughead asked looking to an uncomfortably participating Archie. "This is a private meeting."

But Reggie wasn't listening either because he didn't want to or because he couldn't hear over the furious pounding of his heart echoing inside his skull. "I'm guessing it was you, Sweet Pea," he said jabbing an accusing finger at the now angry boy.

Of course, Sweet Pea thought as he stepped closer, and Lane being there had nothing to do with it. "You ass, I didn't even know Midge. But yeah I get why she wouldn't want fleas from you mangy bulldogs."

She had enough time to see Reggie lunge at Sweet Pea before a pair of arms caught her as two other Serpents pushed their way around her to hold back the Bulldogs as everyone surged towards each other. As Jughead yelled louder than the voices around them for his guys to stand down, as Archie did the same with the Bulldogs, Lane shared an uneasy look with Mac as he held her.

The tension between the two sides was a tangible thing that felt like at any moment it would implode. Even after the Bulldogs left and Jughead shut the door they still held their breaths waiting for another attack. Sweet Pea stepped towards Lane with a gentle hand on her arm realizing in the heat of the moment he'd completely forgotten about her. He was still in the mindset of being a Serpent first, and he couldn't be anymore; not with her, not with the baby.

As everyone started quieting down Lane looked up at Sweet Pea and told him, "I'm gonna go, I'm meeting up with Cheryl." He bent to kiss her forehead and she stepped away from him mildly confused at his sudden and unusual display of affection.

"So you're the one stealing Cheryl from me," Toni said as Lane passed her.

Which confused Lane even more because today was the first day she and Cheryl were hanging out in what felt like weeks, and it was for school. But Lane shrugged and said over her shoulder, "well I was here first." She closed the door to the classroom behind her and her face fell. There was too much going on at once for her to focus on anything: Hiram was steadily taking over the town, she still had the lingering feeling he was going to come after her sooner rather than later, it was only a matter of time before they traced Midge back to Fangs and then they'd be coming after him for her murder, and they still had the baby to deal with.

"Took you long enough," Cheryl grumbled when Lane finally reached her.

They made their way to the front with the plan to go to Pops. "Who's stealing you from Toni because she thinks it's me?" Lane asked plain and simple, without any lead up.

It took Cheryl aback for a moment. "I'm helping Betty with something. You would not believe the travesty that is turning into her life."

"You don't need to tell me," Lane was quick to tell her as they walked outside. "I don't care."

And that's exactly why Cheryl mentioned it, because she knew Lane wouldn't. So she turned the conversation to something she knew would distract her. "The real question is whether you'll get fries or onion rings."

Lane's mind was only just noticing the dark car parked at the back of the lot by itself when her brain heard food and turned all her attention on that. "That's not even a question, obviously I'm gonna get both." They shared a smile as they climbed in Lane's car.

They spent an hour going over what angle they wanted for their report and then outlining it with such detail when they met up again all they had to do was use complete sentences and they'd be done with the written portion. It's why they were always partners, because they got things done.

Sipping her milkshake Cheryl looked at Lane who was surrounded by two baskets with fries and onion rings along with her own milkshake. Something was off, a disquieted edge to her. "Toni tells me you're finding out what it is," Cheryl said off handed, knowing she and Sweet Pea still weren't talking about the big stuff.

"We find out at the end of the week."

It was the way Lane didn't look at her as she began arranging fries by size that had Cheryl sighing. "How's that going?" she pushed.

"It's fine most of the time," Lane answered with a shrug, her eyes still on the fries she found herself not hungry enough to eat.

"And the other times?"

Lane blinked before shoving the basket away messing up the piles she'd made. "I wake up sometimes and I forget. I forget there's this life inside me that's counting on me to get through this." She swallowed heavily blinking against the flood of tears that threatened to swell behind her glassy eyes. "And when I do remember, it feels so heavy I can't breathe. And I'm scared that I'm not strong enough to hold it."

Seeing her chin quiver Cheryl quickly climbed out of her booth and sat beside Lane running her hand along Lane's back. Cheryl didn't know what she was supposed to say or if there was anything even for her to say, this was something Lane needed to be telling Sweet Pea. Which is what Cheryl told her, after she'd gotten Lane calmed down.

Dropping Cheryl off at home Lane returned to her own and opened the door to find Fangs and Sweet Pea on the couch playing a video game. She sat between them with her legs curled under her caught again between whether Hiram was actually after her or if it was just her. So she settled for something she knew the answer to. "You need to tell Jughead."

Neither boy had brought it up after leaving the meeting, Fangs was too caught up in his own head and Sweet Pea had never been one to talk out his problems. The silent thing between them shattered with Lane's words and Fangs turned to her. "Maybe telling more people isn't the best thing right now."

"You said Jughead got you in Midge's dressing room on camera," Lane reminded him. "He's either already given that footage to the Sheriff or he's going to. You need to tell him."

"Fine," was his reluctant agreement. "I'll tell him tomorrow." He slumped back looking at the paused screen and sighed feeling his mood sink lower. "I'm just gonna take a shower."

Turning off the TV and throwing the controllers in the drawer of the TV stand Sweet Pea sat back beside her hearing the shower turn on. "What's going on?" he asked wondering how such a good morning had turned into this. "I know it's Lodge," he said when she didn't even look at him.

She was left with the part of this that might scare her the most. "If I told you I was feeling like we needed to leave," she turned to him with wide hopeless eyes, "you wouldn't come with me, would you?"

He sat back stunned at her admission. "With everything that's happening you'd really leave?" he asked not understanding how she could say that. A Serpent never shows cowardice, it's what they'd be doing if they left – no Serpent is left for dead, and that's what they'd be doing to Fangs if they left. "Did something happen?" he asked trying to figure out where her head was at.

She turned to him finding herself very close to walking out. "Like what, are you asking if he called to tell me he's sending someone after me?"

"I'm trying to figure out where this came from," he told her not liking the accusation he could see in her eyes. "With the Ghoulies and the Northsiders things are only gonna get worse for us, I'm not leaving our people unless I absolutely have to. And as a Serpent I'd expect the same from you. You'd really leave Fangs?" He stared at her beside him with hard eyes watching something close to betrayal settle in her face as she turned away.  
And he sighed heavily. He'd been so ready to leave with her when he first said it, but with the way things were now he couldn't be that ready. She had to understand. He knelt on the floor in front of her forcing her to look at him. "If you still feel like this after our appointment we'll leave, no questions asked. Okay?"

She tried not to think about him putting the Serpents before their kid, or that he was willing to wait until someone was taking a shot at her before he'd do something, or her own willingness to just up and leave these people who'd taken care of her, and Fangs. She tried so hard not to think any of it. A few more days, they could handle that. "Okay," she softly agreed.

.^.

It was a quiet restless night for all three of them, and it was an even quieter morning as Fangs dressed and left to talk to Jughead. As the door closed Lane looked up at Sweet Pea, who in turn looked down at her, and they came together with her arms around his waist and his tight around her shoulders.

…

Jughead found her at school and they made their way to the back corner of the library to stand amongst the history books no one ever read unless for a class. "Fogarty came to talk to me this morning."

"I know," Lane said with a sigh.

Jughead nodded having figured if anyone would know it'd be her. "I'm meeting with the new Sheriff, see if I can't get my footage back." He watched her eyes close in defeat thinking along the same lines as him, it was only a matter of time before this blew up. "With the way things are going with this and the Ghoulies, and our other problem," which was close as he'd get to saying Hiram's name in such an open area, "you and Sweet Pea might wanna think about leaving. At least until things calm down."

Giving just about the saddest laugh Lane shook her head. "He won't leave. I mean, he wouldn't be Sweet Pea without the unyielding loyalty." Hearing that someone else believed her did nothing to make her feel better.

"Maybe just you then," Jughead offered, not liking the look on her face. "I know Mac would go with you if you asked."

She knew he would too, and that thought at least didn't make her feel worse. "Sweet Pea said til the end of the week, I can do a couple more days. And if he still won't go then I'll do it without him." Not happily and it might just break her heart but she'd leave Sweet Pea if she had to. A gentle hand on hers had her looking up at Jughead to see a mix of sympathy and pity that made her skin crawl. "I'll be fine," she told him. "Worry about Fangs." She squeezed his hand before walking away.

...

Come end of day Fangs slid into the back of the car so they could all go home. "Jones gave the tape to the sheriff," he said knowing his time was about to run out. He could feel it looming over him and he wanted to run, but Lane told him last night how guilty that'd make him look. So he was waiting, waiting for what felt like the end.

Sharing a look with Sweet Pea she told Fangs, "he's trying to get it back, he'll let us know." She looked out her window wishing there was more to do for him. And as they made their way out of the parking lot they drove past a lone dark car with windows too tinted to see inside. Her heart stuttered before settling into a rhythm that was too fast for her to catch her breath. It was the one she noticed yesterday, how could she have just looked past it?

As Sweet Pea turned onto the street she watched the side mirror for several long moments before she saw the unmarked car turn down the same way as them. Her hands curled tight around her seat as she held her breath seeing it hang back making every turn they did, until Sweet Pea turned into the Southside and she watched the car behind them disappear around another corner.

Her eyes moved to the sky as she tried to calm down, to convince herself it was just a student driving home. But there was a flutter low in her stomach that she'd been feeling every now and then for some time, and she looked at Sweet Pea who drove without noticing and she didn't feel like she could tell him. Get through tomorrow and their appointment was the next day; a day and a half, she could do a day and a half. But her confidence in making it until then was growing increasingly less.

.^.

It was parked on the side of the street outside their neighborhood, she saw it as Sweet Pea drove them to school and she was left with the same panic as yesterday. She held a hand over her stomach in the place she kept feeling something like bubbles popping.

"Is it gas?" Sweet Pea asked, having glanced at her while at a stop sign. She'd been extremely quiet yesterday, and if the morning was anything to go on then he expected today to be the same.

Still looking out her window she answered with a simple, "no."

With a sigh he kept driving, but he reached his hand to her and held it over the one she had on her stomach. It was obvious she was worried and that in turn made him worry, but he wasn't seeing anything to explain why she thought the problem was Lodge. The biggest problem, as he saw it, was the damn Northsiders and their need for everything to be a Serpent's fault. Their appointment was tomorrow, they could make it until then. And then he'd have to figure out how to convince her to stay.

…

Lane was in between classes still feeling that twisting her stomach when Fangs nearly ran into her. "Where's Sweet Pea, we need to go?" he told her sounding panicked.

She looked at his wide eyes and paled skin. "How do people know?"

"The video," he answered grabbing her hand, wanting to hold it.

" _Attention students, this is Principal Weatherbee. I need Fangs Fogarty to come to my office immediately?"_

The sound that came out of Fangs was close to whine as he looked around at the people all looking at him. "Come on," Lane said pulling him with her.

They came up on a corner and Fangs ran head first into Jughead. "What the hell?" Fangs asked him. "That video's everywhere, how did it get out?"

Lane had her phone in hand texting Sweet Pea. "We need to get you out of here, alright," Jughead told him.

"You're dead Vixen killer," Reggie cried barreling down the stairs with Kevin and Moose and the other Bulldogs in tow.

Grabbing Fangs Jughead pushed him forward, seeing Lane moving in the opposite direction – towards Reggie. He needed time to get away, she was hopeful Reggie wasn't actually going to put his hands on her. "Get out of my way," Reggie warned as he came up on her.

But her hands hit center of his chest shoving him backwards. "Not a chance," she told him in return.

His little riot group stopped with him as he stood glowering down at her as she stayed between him and Fangs. "We need you to come with us," they heard behind them. And they turned to see the new Sheriff and two other deputies there to apprehend Fangs.

"I didn't do anything," Fangs told him before turning to escape the other way. But the Bulldogs were waiting, and Lane was left shoving Reggie back again.

As Reggie's hand encircled her arm tight enough to bruise she watched Fangs try to run through the deputies only to be thrown against the wall. And she watched his pocketknife fall to the floor and her stomach dropped, and then Fangs did as he was thrown to the ground and handcuffed.

Reggie's hand tightened as he turned from the still struggling snake to the girl who'd stopped him. "You're protecting your other boyfriend after what he did to Midge?" he seethed shaking her.

"Hey!"

Reggie looked up to see the Sheriff stepping away from Fangs, who was being dragged away by the two deputies. He felt her tense, almost curling into him.

Sheriff Minetta stood tall and imposing staring harshly at the boy. "You don't ever put your hands on a woman," he told him in such a commanding voice Reggie let her go. He then turned to the young woman raising a light hand to her shoulder. "Are you alright Ms Vivian?"

"Yes," she answered feeling her blood run cold. "Thank you." She turned away from him and Jughead, and Fangs, and she hurried to where Sweet Pea said he was. There was no reason for Sheriff Minetta to know her name, unless someone told him, and considering he was in the Lodge's pocket it terrified her.

Sweet Pea found her without her realizing and he reached a hand to her trying to slow her down. "What happened, where's Fangs?"

"We have to go," is what she told him as she made her way to one of the side doors. She threw it open and turned seeing the same dark car in the back of the parking lot. Closing in on all sides, Jughead had said that.

Reaching the end of his patience Sweet Pea grabbed her arm forcing her to stop in the empty parking lot. "Where the hell is Fangs?" he asked again.

She looked up at him nearly heaving. "They arrested him," she said seeing that settle in his eyes like a slap to his face. But she couldn't think about Fangs right now. "I am telling you right now, we have to leave. There's not gonna be any other-"

"We're not leaving," Sweet Pea said speaking over her. "They're trying to blame Fangs for Midge's murder, you get that right? We can't just leave him." He shouldn't have to tell her this, and it made him so angry that he was – the anger wasn't really at her but she was what was in front of him.

"You're not listening. He has som-"

But again Sweet Pea spoke over her. "No I am listening, I'm just not agreeing. We're not gonna leave because things are hard, Lane, that's not how this works. You're a Serpent, you grow a thicker skin and you deal with it." He looked down at her wide shocked eyes and felt only the smallest twinge of guilt for hurting her. But Fangs, the reason she'd agreed to give it a few more days, was now arrested and she was bailing – it honestly made him sick. "What happened to no Serpent stands alone, or is that only when you need us?"

He might as well have hit her for how much that hurt. Feeling her heart break she held her hand out to him, and she saw the anger flood out of him as he was left with the pain she'd caused. With what felt like the entire world between them he handed her the keys, and she walked away.

The drive home was a blur but that was mostly from the crying. The car again followed her and then again broke off when she turned into her part of town. Reaching the house she slammed the door shut and paused as another sob wracked through her, it took her longer this time to pull herself together when she was surrounded by the smell of him. She grabbed her suitcase out of the closet and began pulling things off the hangers and stuffing them inside. In turning to the dresser she stopped short at the sight of Fangs' duffle bag on the floor.

.^.

Jughead stood with a group of very angry Serpents inside the Wyrm, surrounded by the smell of smoke from the dumpster fire set by the Dark Circle along with their tires slashed. They were ready for the war the Northside was starting. "We don't need anyone else in jail," Jughead told them, trying to get them to calm down. But there wasn't enough water to douse this fire.

"What are we gonna do about Fangs?" Sweet Pea asked, his eyes nearly black with seething hatred.

That was something else Jughead was trying to keep at bay, their rage at one of their own being blamed for this. Before Jughead could respond a lighter, more feminine, voice beat him to it. "The only actual evidence they have against him is the knife he had in school, unless they find something else they'll have to let him go."

They all turned to where Lane stood in the doorway looking like she hadn't slept in days. She was the first thing Jughead asked about, and they'd quieted at Sweet Pea telling them she'd left. "Fangs needs to know to keep his mouth shut," Jughead finished for her, seeing her small nod. He guessed her plan and he was already pulling out his phone. "We can call her on the way."

"I need to speak with FP," she said before stepping towards FP, who moved with her away from the others.

Jughead, as well as Sweet Pea, watched them too far away to hear what was said. They saw FP's eyes widen first in shock then settle into a barely leashed fury before he kissed her forehead and let her go. She made her way back to the door leaving with Jughead, never once looking at Sweet Pea.

Lane drove to the police station while Jughead called Mrs McCoy asking her to represent Fangs, and then she stood on the sidewalk while Jughead called to bitch out Archie for what his Black Circle had done outside the Whyte Wyrm. All the while she stared at the black car with the tinted windows parked across the street, having followed her from the bar. She'd found him parked outside her house that morning, and she knew whatever time she might've had was up.

"Jughead, Lane," Sierra McCoy greeted in a rush as she hurried towards them. Time wasn't on their side, she needed to get to the boy before he said too much and they were going to be grilling him. "Where is he?"

They marched into the station, Sierra barely stopping as she demanded to know where her client was, and then she was making her way to the interrogation room and throwing the door open. "Don't say another word," she said looking to the tired, wrung out, boy the Sheriff was questioning. "I'll be representing Mr Fogarty from here on out, and I'd appreciate it if you'd stop harassing my client."

Fangs looked from the former mayor to Jughead, and then to Lane who stood behind them; feeling his hope return. With a rough jerk Sheriff Minetta pulled Fangs from the chair and took him back to holding, where he locked him in a cell. And then he turned heavy eyes on Lane Vivian, seeing she hadn't yet been run out of town.

Jughead sat on the desk positioned in front of the cells and Lane forced herself to stand beside him, waiting for the Sheriff to leave. "You're being held because you were in possession of a weapon on school property," McCoy told him as she stood next to where Fangs stood in his cell.

"My switchblade's for protection," Fangs said, having just been accused by the Sheriff of killing Midge with it.

That meant little in regards to whether it was allowed, but she didn't think he killed Midge with it. "Yes, well, they have twenty four hours to make something stick. In the meantime, you exercise your right to remain the hell silent," she said firmly, wanting to drill into him the importance of him not incriminating himself.

Fangs looked to Jughead for assurance, and he nodded to let him know that this might end up okay. And then he looked to Lane, who seemed so sad and tired and he really just wanted to hold her or for her to hold him. Or maybe he just wanted her. She tried to offer an encouraging smile but her mind was too dark and it was nothing more than a twitch of her mouth.

"Ms Vivian will be staying with my client," Sierra told the new Sheriff, who laughed derisively and shook his head. "She's interning with me, and she has very promising career ahead of her. This is a good case for her to learn from, she'll be gathering information from the defendant which she will then relay to me."

Minetta glanced at the girl before agreeing, glad at least to know where she was. The three of them left Jughead included, but he bid both Fangs and Lane goodbye before doing so. When they were gone Lane stepped to the bars reaching for Fangs the same way he reached for her, and they stood holding each other as best they could as they leaned their foreheads against the cool metal that separated them.

"What's gonna happen to me when I get out of here?" Fangs asked her knowing the Northsiders would be looking for blood. His blood.

She raised a hand to his cold cheek. "FP's working on how to get you out of town," she answered seeing him nod. "I hope you don't mind but I'll be coming with you."

He blinked at her and shook his head trying to figure out why she'd be willing to leave. "If he's after you again," was the only answer that made sense, "you can't stay for me. Sweet Pea needs to get you and the baby out of here."

It was her turn to shake her head. "Whatever time he was giving me to leave on my own, I'm pretty sure it's already passed." He was trying to speak but she shushed him. "It's okay," she told him. "We'll be together, we'll be fine." His hands held her tighter seeing in her eyes she didn't believe that. He loved her so much in that moment.

The day drew slowly on, Minetta came down frequently to ask if she needed anything, gave her water, took her to the vending machines and bought everything she asked for. He'd even gotten her lunch. And every time he left her she'd move to the bars and hand Fangs something to share. "He's up to something," Fangs said finding him unsettling in the way he looked at Lane, as if he knew her.

There were a few guesses as to what: he was honestly concerned which was a joke, he was waiting for a chance to kill her which was unlikely, or he was watching her for Hiram which was most likely.

She was sitting at the desk when Minetta came by again and he set a box of chicken fingers in front of her with a small smile. "I'm heading over to the Mayoral debate, there's a deputy at the front desk if you need anything."

"Thank you," she told him with a pleasant expression. One that fell when he was gone. He was trying to win her over, that's what he was doing. She wasn't happy about the thought of that or why he wanted to. But she'd get no answer for the time being so she and Fangs sat in front of the bars sharing the chicken and fries for dinner, and the coke she shouldn't be drinking for the caffeine. And when they were done Fangs sat with his back to the bars while Lane sat with her shoulder against them turned toward him, and with her small arm fitted through one of the gaps she held his hand.

Her phone buzzed and she looked down at it feeling such a yearning in her at the sight of his name. _where are you_ She stared at those words for several moments before she reached a decision and held the phone out to get a picture of both of them. Even to herself she looked sad, and Fangs was turned to look up at the phone clearly worried.

That's where they were when Mrs McCoy and Jughead came back, only an hour left before they had to release him. With one hand holding Lane's to give her leverage Jughead held his other behind her back to help push her up as she climbed to her feet. "That was depressing," Lane muttered mostly to herself, hearing Mrs McCoy laugh lightly.

"Give it a few more months," Sierra told the girl, seeing Jughead step away to take a call.

Lane nodded leaning against the cell as she rubbed the ache in her back. "Yeah, I'll be waddling like a graceless penguin in no time." They shared a brief uneasy laugh, hearing the volume in the station steadily increase as more people came in: something happened.

Jughead returned to them looking a mix of concerned and angry. "I just got off the phone with Betty. Apparently the Black Hood just turned the town hall into his own shooting gallery, while Fangs was right here. So why is the Sheriff still holding him?"

Sierra answered, just as unhappy, "what happened tonight and what happened to Midge are being treated as separate incidents." Lane and Jughead shared a hard look, because of course they'd try to save face by still pinning this on Fangs. "But if the Sheriff doesn't press charges in the next hour he has to let you go."  
Fangs sighed relieved at hearing he'd be getting out, and Jughead reached a hand to Lane's arm feeling the same kind of relief. But that was the only good news Sierra had for them. "There are lots of protesters outside, Jughead. His release is going to make a lot of people in this town very unhappy."

And it continued to get worse. There was going to be an all out war by the end of this, Jughead could feel it like it'd been swelling for months and the town just wasn't big enough to contain it anymore. "Stay here, I'm gonna talk to my dad get more Serpents to help get him out of here."

"I'll leave right before you get Fangs out, I'll drive the getaway car," she told him.

That would give them an immediate out, they'd just have to get Fangs to the car without the town ripping him apart first. Squeezing her arm Jughead hurried off to round up as many Serpents as he could, and when he saw how big the crowd was he knew they'd need a miracle.

With him gone Lane turned to Attorney McCoy. "With what happened at the town hall they probably won't have time to come up with a charge," Lane said turning to where Fangs sat now looking more miserable than before.

"You're probably right," Sierra agreed before leaving the two to themselves.

Fangs stood and reached for Lane wanting to go home, their home. "What's gonna happen?" he asked thinking if anyone had an answer it'd be her.

"We'll get you out and then we'll lay low," she said sounding more confident than she felt.

"For how long?"

"As long as it takes," she told him firmly, holding his hand tightly in hers. It was enough for him to nod, to trust her and Jughead. Even though it wasn't he convinced himself it was enough.

They stood together until her phone rang, and she only let him go to answer it. "Meet me out front, my dad's gonna make sure you get outside," Jughead said before hanging up.

Behind his voice she'd heard so many loud angry cries, it sounded like a mob. She turned to Fangs and touched his cheek. "I'll see you in a minute." She held him as long as it took for him to say okay, and she held him a moment longer which was the time she needed to offer him a smile. And then she left.

She could see the crowd through the windows when she rounded the corner, they were surrounding the office on all sides. There were so many goddamn people. A hand on her arm had her turning to see FP, who pulled her towards the front door. "Stay close, they're not happy," he said prepared to shield her.

"Hey," came a gruff voice and Lane stopped in her tracks turning to Sweet Pea as he made his way to her. His eyes were as wide and worried as hers, and he stared down at her wanting to say so many things but he'd never really been good with words. But she knew him. "Me too," she said softly feeling the pull to stay with him.

But FP swooped around her and led her on, knowing they wouldn't have much time once things got moving. Their cries were overwhelming as the two stepped outside, some calling for justice others calling for death. FP kept her close at his side angled in front of her, taking most of the elbows and shoves from those who caught sight of the Serpent on his jacket. Getting her through he pointed to where another Serpent was keeping the car running. "We'll bring him to you and then you drive, you drive like hell and you don't stop til you're sure you're safe."

Feelings his hands tight around her face she nodded, and he kissed her cheek before shouldering his way back to the front. The guy waiting the car was quick to follow FP when she reached him, and she climbed in leaving the door open so that Fangs could see her or she could run if needed. There were so many goddamn people.

From the way they grew louder and angry, seeming to swarm like bees, she knew Fangs was coming. There was movement in her peripheral and she turned seeing a few other people running to join the crowd. And as they ran in front of the car she stilled catching sight of a man standing only a few feet from her. Her blood ran cold seeing the gleam of a gun as he raised his arm, drawing aim. Her time was up, she heard the echo of a gunshot.


	28. Chapter 28

For the fourth time in her life Lane heard the unmistakable crack of a gun, and she stared at the shadowed man aiming it at her, waiting for death. But it didn't come. The man turned toward the crowd and without thought she threw herself out of the car and shoved her way into the panicked mob masking herself from his view. It wasn't her, she wasn't the one hurt, and before she could really appreciate that her mind was screaming Fangs.

She found him lying on the ground with blood seeping through his shirt and it was like the world had dropped out from under her, and she thought of her father. A body shoving past her kicked her brain into gear and she rushed forward kneeling in the place above his head.

"Lane," he whimpered when he noticed her. He raised a hand to reach for her and she held it as tight as she could, feeling how cold it was. "They shot me," he told her, his chest jolting with his uneven shallow breathing.

She ran a hand through his hair looking up at FP, who'd turned her head toward him when she didn't seem to hear him calling her. "You were supposed to wait in the car," he said glancing up at the fight only a few feet from them.

"It wasn't safe," she told him quietly before turning back to Fangs. She felt Sweet Pea beside her holding Fangs' other hand nearly shaking, a look at his black eyes told her it was from rage. More people were starting to throw punches and those that weren't fighting were rioting; car alarms were going off, there was a sharp pop from glass being shattered. "We need to get him out of here," she said looking to FP. "An ambulance isn't gonna make it through this and even if it could it'd only draw attention and they'd come after him."

FP nodded not liking the plan but it was the best they had. "Jug help me get him to the car, Lane you're in the back with him," he said moving her out of the way so he could help get Fangs to his feet.

Her heart broke at his pained cry as both FP and Jughead half carried him. Before she could take a step forward to follow Sweet Pea reached for her with a blood-stained hand under her jaw as he pulled her into a desperate kiss. As quickly as he'd done it he pulled away, and he left her with blood smeared on the side of her neck and an ache in her chest for him to stay.

"Lane," FP barked.

She turned from Sweet Pea, who was grabbing a few other Serpents their age, and went back to the car. The man that'd been following her was nowhere in her immediate sight and that made her feel horribly exposed. Climbing in on the other side of the car Fangs all but toppled inside with a weak groan as his head hit her chest, and her hand replaced Jughead's keeping pressure over the seeping wound.

"I don't feel so good," Fangs mumbled feeling cold and far away. The pain hadn't fully caught up to him yet, there was still too much adrenaline but it was quickly leaving his system and he trembled.

She shared a worried look with FP before he sped off and she rested her cheek on the top of Fangs' head. His breathing was all over the place, too fast, too much time before he'd take his next breath, a stuttering gasp with no exhale. "You know those labor videos you keep making me watch, we're gonna breathe like that okay?"  
With his head on her chest she took a breath and she held it before letting it go, and then she waited a second before taking another – and he did his very best to follow along feeling her chest expanding and falling. The first few breaths were still too fast, they stuttered too much, he wasn't exhaling completely before he was gasping for the next one. But he got there, it was still too shallow but it was steady and even and less like the kind of hyperventilating that'd lead to him passing out.

She could feel his cold clammy forehead through her shirt and she prayed to a god she hadn't spoken to in years that he'd make it. "You know, in less than five months you're gonna be doing this for me," she told him, feeling his weak smile. "Sweet Pea's gonna freak out, so I need you to be there." It was small, so small, but she felt him nod.

When they finally got to the hospital the balled up shirt she was pressing against his wound had soaked through and he progressively got paler as his breathing grew lighter. FP replaced her hand with his, and while they carried him inside she climbed into the driver's seat and parked the car. There was still no shadowed man holding a gun, and not seeing him did little to set her fried nerves at ease.

"They took him back," Jughead told her when she walked in.

Before she could speak FP grabbed her and pulled her away from listening ears. "What did you mean it wasn't safe?" he asked, remembering how simply she'd told him just a few hours ago that there was a hit on her again. "Do we need to get you out of here?"

"I'm not leaving him."

"That's not what I asked," he told her firmly. He didn't need two kids shot, especially not this one. Jesus Christ she was technically two now, her and Sweet Pea should've found out what it was today and instead they got this.

But she responded with a simple, "that's my answer."

It left him giving her a stern look as he found a very small section of the waiting room that was hidden behind the wall where check in was, and he pushed her into one of the two chairs. He let Jughead sit beside her, jimmying his leg like an addict jonesing for his next fix. "Were you right?" Jughead asked her after a while, and he turned long enough to see her nod before his hands curled into fists as he grimaced. The town was going up in flames and this night had turned to utter shit.

"You knew?" FP demanded, accused. He turned hard eyes from his son to Lane. "How long?"

"A few days."

He muttered a curse as he stepped away for a moment, needing space and air to breathe before he could come back. "Again," he said looking to his son, "you knew?"

Jughead shrugged. "She said it was just a feeling, and Sweet Pea wouldn't leave."

"Then you make him," FP exclaimed running a hand through his hair. He had to step away again, it took him longer to come back. "How close?" he asked, his question directed at Lane but his infuriated eyes remained on the floor.

Swallowing heavily Lane was left with how close she'd come to dying, and she held both hands to her stomach feeling that persistent flutter. "He got distracted by Fangs being shot."

He turned away so she wouldn't see the flash of murder on his face - when this was over he was gonna kill Sweet Pea. For several long moments he stood taking long loud breaths, until at last he could look at her and Jughead. "Okay," he said releasing a breath, "we get Fangs through this and then we get you both the hell away from this town. And I will drag that boy of yours by his goddamn neck if I have to." Seeing her small nod he reached a hand to her cheek brushing it fondly before he stepped outside needing more air than that waiting room could give him.

The two left behind were quiet for a while before Jughead saw a nurse, and he jumped to his feet hurrying after her. "Excuse me, ma'am, how's Fangs Fogarty?"

"He's still in surgery," she answered before turning to continue her rounds. She was stopped by an officer at her back.

Sheriff Minetta looked down at her and told her, "I'll want to talk to him as soon as he wakes up." He watched her walk away, in doing so he caught sight of the young woman coming around a corner having heard his voice.

"Sheriff Minetta," Jughead said catching the man's attention, "shouldn't you be on the street looking for who shot Fangs?"

Minetta turned to the suspicious boy. "There's already a manhunt underway. Your little Serpent pals," he pointed to a hard faced FP getting water, "aren't making things easy, though. Rioting, carousing, terrorizing the neighborhood. Already arrested a few."

"Fangs wouldn't have a slug in his gut if you'd done your job in the first place," FP said glowering at the uniformed officer.

Lane stood beside Jughead wondering if Sweet Pea was behind bars or still destroying everything in his line of sight. And at Jughead's hand on her back she slowly slid into the place he'd been standing as he silently backed away from the dick measuring contest between his father and Minetta.

"I don't know the details of your parole, Mr Jones, but I'm certain harassing an officer would violate them."

Given that the Sheriff's office had released an innocent boy into a violent crowd with absolutely no help, Minetta wouldn't follow through with that threat. So Lane rolled her eyes. "Put your dicks away," Lane told them irritably. "Who is this helping?"

FP scoffed a laugh that might've been amused if not for the circumstance and looked over at her. In doing so he saw the empty space his son had been standing and he quickly scanned the waiting room looking for him. "Stay here," he told Lane before charging outside, hoping to catch his son before he did something stupid. Or made things worse.

Minetta turned from the door FP threw open to see Lane walking back to where she'd been sitting behind the wall, and he followed her hearing her sigh as she settled back in the chair. "You alright, Ms Vivian?"

She looked up at his suspiciously kind face and shrugged. "It's just my back," she answered resting a hand over the lower half of her stomach. It'd really started hurting the past couple weeks, which admittedly was when her belly really started poking out. There was no hiding it, no need to squint or look at her at the right angle, and she was only gonna get bigger.

Taking a moment to consider it, and her, he sat in the chair beside her. "There aren't too many cold cases in this town," he said feeling her carefully watchful gaze set on his face. "I know how hard this must be for you."

That was supposed to be an explanation for why he knew her name, her father's case still unsolved. But she wasn't buying it. "Is me liking you the job or does it make the job easier?" she asked seeing the way he smiled, as if he'd been hoping for this.

"It's the job," he told her honestly, and then added, "so far." Hiram had a long talk with him about this girl and the plans he had in place for her, she'd already figured out two. "Me liking you is where things will get difficult."

Her eyes narrowed as she traced his face, not knowing him well enough to read anything from his expression. "For me or him?" she asked making him smirk.

"I guess we'll find out."

She sat back unsatisfied and still untrusting, but she liked his honesty. Which was why it was a problem, because she was supposed to like it. There was a twitching in her stomach and she ran a hand over it wishing it'd go away, or turn into something because she was tired of feeling it without reason.

FP came back and he stood with his shoulder against the wall she was next to glaring down at Minetta, not liking how close he was to Lane. But Minetta got a call and he stepped away, and FP took the chance to take his seat and set a hand on her leg squeezing it gently.

It wasn't but a few minutes that Sheriff Minetta came back with a cup of water he'd gotten for Lane from the cooler. "I'm heading back to the station, is there anything you need before I go?"

He had to know Hiram sent someone after her, from the heavy way he looked at her it seemed like he was waiting for it. But she took a sip of the water he'd given her and shook her head. With a tight-lipped smile he told her he'd see her later, and then stopped at the front desk leaving his card to be notified immediately of any updates on Fogarty.

"I don't like him," FP said when he was gone. He didn't like that he was Lodge's man, he didn't like the obvious distaste he had for the Serpents when he hadn't even been there a week, didn't like the presuming way he looked at Lane; FP didn't like the whole situation.

"Me neither," was Lane's quiet agreement as they sat back and waited.

Waiting was the worst kind of game, he'd get up every so often to ask if Fangs was out of surgery and then he'd pace several minutes trying to work out his anxious rage as he called Jughead who never answered. "Mind if I try him on your phone?" he asked thinking Jughead might answer if he thought it was her.

Lane didn't think so but she still gave it to him, and within a minute he came back with no luck. But that minute was all it took for Lane's heavy eyes to close, and he sighed stuffing her phone in his jacket pocket and stepped away not wanting to wake her. A familiar face caught his eye and he watched Hal Cooper stumble into the ER bleeding. He called the Cooper house and let Betty know her old man was there, asked after his son still without any luck, and returned to Lane.

The girl should've been at home curled up in bed being held by her boy, and that thought made FP hesitate before reaching to shake her gently. "Easy girl," he said softly when she shot awake, and he waited as she rubbed her eyes before blinking blearily at him. "Things are looking pretty bad out there, I'm gonna see if I can't round up some of our boys. You do not leave this hospital on your own, you hear me?" When she nodded he gave a short, "okay," before bending to kiss the top of her head and heading out – already planning on sending the first Serpent he came across to stay with her.

She sat in the waiting room as people came and went feeling alone and vulnerable, receiving a brief hopeful update that Fangs should be coming out of surgery soon. Her first thought was to tell Sweet Pea, who she found herself constantly worried over the whereabouts of, and she felt around her pockets looking for her phone. She'd never gotten it back from FP, she suddenly realized with a heavy sigh. If something happened, was her ominous thought before she shook herself out of it.

It was another hour at least of sitting and waiting, flipping through a magazine, staring mindlessly at the same boring wall listening to a few codes here and there or calls for a doctor. But finally someone came around her corner and she looked up expecting the nurse who'd sat with her for several minutes asking about the baby, instead she was met with Minetta's somber face as he sat beside her.

"How is he? They won't tell me because I'm not family."

He nodded without looking at her, he was turned partly toward her but his eyes wouldn't meet hers – out of respect, of shame. "He didn't make it," he told her softly, glancing at her face to see it slackened with confused shock. "I am very sorry for your loss."  
He watched her blink as though trying to make sense of it, to deny it, to find some way for her friend to still be alive. "Lane," he tried and reached a hand for her but she shrunk back shaking her head.

"I have to go," she said climbing to her feet and pushing past him as she ran out the door.

…

Grimacing FP lowered the phone he held tightly in his clenched hand feeling his eyes burn. He made his way into the Wyrm hearing Jughead and Sweet Pea arguing over whether to go to war with the Ghoulies, Jughead calling it suicide and Sweet Pea not willing to back down. "That's enough," he cried silencing them. "I just got a call from the Sheriff's office. Fangs uh," he took a breath feeling the weight of those words, "he didn't make it. He's gone."

A low mournful mumble spread through the Wyrm hearing they'd lost their own, and with it a renewed surge of hatred. "Fangs is dead?" Jughead asked needing to hear it again, to be sure, feeling as though he'd somehow caused it.

"And we will mourn him, hell yeah we will. But first, we will honor him," FP said looking to all of them. "And from what I just heard it sounds like we need to put it to a vote. All those against going to war against the Ghoulies?"

Not a single hand was raised.

"And all those for giving them hell on the battlefield tomorrow?"

They all raised a hand in support, willing to fight, to die - save Jughead who'd come to the conclusion of giving himself up, as he thought he had to.

As they set out to prepare and to gear up Sweet Pea stepped towards FP. "Where's Lane?" he asked, knowing she'd been waiting at the hospital.

With a sigh FP shook his head. "Sheriff Minetta said he drove her home, she grabbed a bag and seemed to heading out of town."

That hit Sweet Pea like a blow to the stomach and he stepped back finding himself breathless at thought of her being gone, of never seeing her again, of never holding their kid. He called her, needing to hear it from her, needing to know her plan. But he heard a familiar pattern of buzzing behind him and he turned to see FP pulling her phone from his jacket pocket.

…

Lane skirted around the side of the hospital and snuck in through one of the back entrances. The nurse had used the word stable to describe Fangs' condition, as well as minimal damage which had seemed to surprise her. Nothing to indicate death within an hour. So she scoured the halls glancing in every room, most of which were empty, but she passed one that had all the curtains drawn and she stopped a few steps too far as her mind slowly caught up. Stepping backwards she stared through the small window on the door at the curtains contemplating it before she turned the handle and stepped inside.

"Fangs," she sighed relieved at the sight of him lying in the bed. Tears filled her eyes as she moved to his side gently stroking his cheek as she tried looking at his monitor. She didn't fully know what the numbers or the buttons were that she was seeing but she found the one she wanted and muted it.

"Lane."

She turned at his croaked voice and stood over him holding the hand he dazedly raised toward her. "How are you?" she asked and immediately followed up with, "we don't have a lot of time we need to move."

…

A man dressed in black with a gun tucked in the waistband of his pants moved down the hall after the girl he'd been watching for the last week. She was intelligent, more than Lodge had foretold. The job was to take her out if the opportunity arose not to seek her out and make a scene, but she'd gotten away from him twice now and it was beginning to feel like a personal vendetta to finally look her in the eye as he pulled the trigger.

The hallway was dim and empty and he cast his eye toward every room he passed, heading for the room Minetta said the boy was set up in. He pulled back the curtains and was left with the sight of an empty disheveled bed and a silent heart monitor flashing that vitals had been lost. His hands curled to fists as he threw the door to the bathroom open, and he scowled at finding it empty as well.

Charging back into the hall he looked in the room across from him seeing an old woman sleeping in her bed and he turned heading down the other end of the hall, infuriated that she'd slipped past him again.

Behind the bed across the hall Lane sat hunched low with Fangs slumped across her, breathing shallow and uneven, hearing his loud angry footsteps clapping on the linoleum grow distant. From where his head lay on her chest Fangs looked up at her pale face feeling her holding him tightly.

"He seems a little old to be your boyfriend," the elderly woman whose bed they were hiding behind said in a shaky voice as she looked down at them.

Lane could offer only the smallest of smiles and it quickly fell. "We'll wait a few minutes if you don't mind."

"Not at all dear, take all the time you need," the woman said before closing her eyes again.

Releasing a trembling breath she settled back hugging him tighter to her, making sure the tube for the morphine drip wasn't being crushed. They stayed that way for a time, unsure of how much had passed, until she finally squirmed awkwardly from beneath him and crept towards the door. Though the sound of feet had Lane throwing her back against the wall beside it listening as they stopped outside the room, peering inside looking for any sign of the two missing teens, before carrying on. Peeking out of the doorway she saw the back of the dark clothed man heading for the door she'd entered from, and she cursed realizing she was going to have to find another way out.

"I'm gonna be right back, okay," she told Fangs as she stooped to wipe his sweaty brow. He was trying to say no, to reach for her to make her stay, but she stepped back knowing they weren't gonna have a lot of time. Morning was coming and with it a busy day, right now it was quiet almost empty.

The exit she found was closer to the front on the other side of the hospital, and it meant passing by the entrance to the ER where most of the nurses were congregated. But Lane also found a wheelchair that'd been parked in the hallway for later use and she quietly nabbed it and brought it back with her. "Since you're crippled and all," Lane said when Fangs saw her.

He winced sitting up more. "When I feel better I'm gonna hit you for that."

Lane was almost able to smile, knowing he wouldn't nor would he likely remember this. "I know it hurts but you need to get up," she said pulling his arm across her shoulder for leverage. He groaned as they slowly stood, his hand clenched tight over the stitched wound as sweat gathered thick on his brow and dripped down his face. He just about fell into the wheelchair clutching his abdomen as he panted, and whined as she pulled him up further to sit better.

Checking the hall to make sure no one was coming lane wheeled him back the way she'd just come from, skating past the nurse's desk, feeling her heart drop at the sight of Sheriff Minetta coming in with Hiram Lodge in tow, and she looked at the impossible length of hallway in front of her where the door was at the end. They were gonna come around the corner and only by some miracle would one of them not at least glance their way and take notice. So she pulled Fangs into a room and they found themselves in a break room staring at an unconcerned nurse playing on her phone.

"What are you doing?" the woman asked them blandly.

Fangs looked up at Lane when she didn't immediately answer to see her thinking. "The Sheriff told us he was dead."

The nurse nodded as though she understood. "So this is the Serpent who got shot," she said finally looking up at the two teens to see how young and tired they both looked. "It's probably best to get him out of here, no sense for the Sheriff to be lying unless he's up to no good." Seeming to contemplate something she dropped her phone in her pocket and stood coming around the small round table and looking down the hall. The sight of the uniform turning down another hall explained why the two were there. "Come on," she told them when it was clear.  
With nothing else to do Lane wheeled Fangs after her and stopped with her outside a supply closet that she scanned her badge to get into. "You're gonna need morphine and saline, hydrocodone if you can find it, and at no point did I help you," she said firmly looking to the steady-eyed girl.

Lane watched her go wondering what the hell had happened and how, but she didn't waste a second as the nurse walked away before she quickly scoured the room looking for what she'd been told. It wasn't going to take them long to find Fangs missing, they needed to be gone when that happened.

She'd grabbed two packs of morphine for the drip and had just found the saline when a code sounded over the intercom. "Hold these," she said setting the few things she'd gathered in Fangs' arms before she backed him out of the room and hurried him toward the door.

"Stop," Minetta cried when he saw them all the way at the far end of the hall, Lane backing Fangs out of the side exit. Beside him he heard Hiram telling the man on the other end of the phone where the girl was.

Leaving Fangs in the wheelchair she ran along every car in sight pulling every handle and finding them all locked. This was the flaw in her plan – there was no getaway car. Until at last the door of a very old truck opened and she almost cried in relief. "Get up," she said shoving Fangs against the wall as she wedged one of the arms of the wheelchair through the handle to the door. And she almost fell back when a body slammed against it, it didn't open more than a crack.

"Don't make this worse for yourself Lane," Minetta said trying to get to her before the gun Hiram hired reached her.

But Lane had Fangs' arm over her shoulder and she was dragging him toward the truck. "Come on, come on," she kept saying over and over trying to get him to move faster. She was sure at some point she told him to get the hell over it as she helped him in.

Running around the front of the car she climbed behind the wheel and popped out the ignition switch and hotwired the truck like Tall Boy had taught her – he'd said it was a skill she never knew when she might need.

"How the hell," Fangs breathless asked, finding he couldn't wait to tell Sweet Pea.

Her blood ran cold at the sight of the dark clothed man in the rearview mirror, and in his hand gleamed a gun. There was a loud scrape and Minetta had gotten the door open enough to slip through. Throwing the truck into reverse she hit the gas flying backwards, leaving her assailant to lunge out of the way before she hit him.

Hiram Lodge calmly stepped off the sidewalk watching her taillights disappear as she escaped him, again. His eyes were hard and full of enraged disappointment as he turned to the hired gun that was climbing to his feet. "If she makes it through to the end of today, you won't," he told him severely.

Tucking his gun in his waistband he nodded, feeling his insatiable desire to see this girl dead grow. "Yes sir."

* * *

 _This will probably be the last chapter I post for about a week, I'll do my best to get something out next week but it may end up being the following week after that. Even though this chapter was a little shorter than what I've been doing, I hope you enjoyed._


	29. Chapter 29

_So this chapter is set in between episodes 21 and 22 - it's the day after Fangs is shot, which is the day the Serpents fight the Ghoulies (that's unfortunately not shown in the actual show). Also, next chapter will be it until season 3_

* * *

They were fifteen minutes from the invisible line that separated the north from the south side of Riverdale, give or take considering lights. But that was the least of their concern. Small fires glowed around every corner, dark shadows darted along the street breaking windows to shops, running towards the truck when they noticed it. Regardless of the red light they were stopped at Lane ran it the moment anyone tried to come near them; they couldn't find the boy slumped against the door quietly moaning as he clutched his middle.

"We're almost there," she said even though they weren't. When it came to pain a minute could feel like an hour, and he'd just gotten out of surgery.

He was trying to keep it together because he knew if they stopped whoever was after her was gonna find them, but it hurt so goddamn much he couldn't breathe. "I can't," he whispered on a pained breath.

Something was hurled at the truck and it hit the windshield with a sudden bang splintering it along the bottom. On instinct Lane turned into a neighborhood, away from the Southside where she wanted to take him. "New plan," Lane said breathless from the scare as she gripped the steering wheel tight enough her hands were white. "We find a phone and we call someone to come get us. Sweet Pea probably won't answer, FP would so we'll call him. He'll bring more people, help carry you, we'll take you home, I'll figure out how to set the IV - I mean I've seen it done. That's, that's a good plan." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

"Lane," Fangs said trying to reach for her, but he only succeeded in falling against her as he whimpered.

Hitting the brakes Lane turned cupping Fangs' clammy face. "Hey, look at me it's okay. We're okay. I'll pull over and see if I can't set the morphine drip." She wiped away the few tears that'd run down his cheeks. "Okay?"

"I dropped," he broke off as a wave of pain spread through him and he tried to curl in on himself. "When I stood," another wave hit him.

When she'd pushed him out of the wheelchair to use it as a doorstop. "Okay," she said sounding again like she was trying to talk herself into something. "We can call someone to get us somewhere safe and then they'll get the supplies."

"I can't," he said nearly crying.

Her heart broke for him and she was filled with the urgent need to make him feel better, but her mind was spinning knowing going back was the absolute worst possible thing. But he was trembling against her and his breathing was thinning, and she could feel his warm tears sliding down her hand as they fell. "Okay," she said again on a desperate sigh. "We go back to the hospital, I get what we need, I'll set the drip, and then we go home." As he nodded against her feeling a heaviness settle in his chest as he got lightheaded, she was already thinking about finding a phone in the hospital, still wanting to let FP know what was going on. That Fangs was alive, because no doubt Minetta told FP he wasn't, that Fangs was with her, that she had at least one known tail and he had a gun. But really she just wanted Sweet Pea.

She went around to the other entrance to the neighborhood and turned back the way they'd just come knowing they needed to be leaving, they needed a different car, they needed a different plan. It felt like the equivalent of giving herself up. But he was shaking so hard now it was close to what she'd imagine was convulsing, he wouldn't make it like this. And at this point she'd already given up everything for him, why stop now.

Pulling around the back of the hospital, noticing the cop stationed in the front, Lane left a barely conscious Fangs in the still running truck and darted inside. As she'd known there were more nurses in the hallway as they did early morning rounds and she hugged the wall as she walked past them keeping her head down, casting her eyes about for any sign of a supply closet or even a bathroom to duck into until she could find a clear moment to look around.

A hand latched onto her arm dragging her into the nearest room and she shoved them back ready to claw at their face when her panicked mind recognized the man who'd grabbed her. It was the nurse who'd helped her convince Hiram she was dead, who'd owed the Serpents a favor. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded moving her away from the door. "There are at least four cops roaming the halls, I assume looking for the boy they told us was in a safe house and told FP Jones was dead. I'm gonna take a wild guess and say he's with you."

She nodded realizing the answer to her problem was now in front of her in the shade of very angry blue eyes. "Four cops and a guy still trying to kill me."

"Goddamn it, kid," he muttered running a hand through his hair before he stuck his head out of the room to see the hallway was momentarily clear. Not bothering to ask for permission he grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the closet shoving her inside. He grabbed a black medical bag and loaded it with what she'd need: saline, morphine, tubes, tape, needles. It wasn't everything but it was the best he could do. He zipped it up and held it out for her to take as he made his way to the door to check the hallway again.

After what felt like several minutes she finally asked him, "is there a way to hurry this up?"

"Are you kidding me?" he demanded turning to face her with burning eyes.

Rubbing her eyebrow, where she could feel a headache starting to form, she shook her head. "What's your name?"

He paused a moment before answering. "Aaron."

"Okay, Aaron," she said in a soft manner, her voice curling sweetly around his name, "please hurry up."

His softened expression hardened with irritation as he looked down the hall to see the same nurse still heading their way. It wasn't a cop but this nurse had a stick up her ass and she'd call a code without waiting for an explanation. "Shut up and don't move," he told her firmly before he flipped the light on and moved to a shelf on the other side of the small room as though looking for something.

Lane stared unhappily at him a moment, prepared to give up on him and just leave on her own, but her heart dropped as the door opened and her eyes widened in understanding. "You're supposed to be doing intake, what you are you doing here?" asked the woman who wore a perpetual scowl.

Aaron did his best impression of a charming smile as he turned to a woman who'd never liked him or his connection to the Southside, but his mouth fell open as he watched Lane bring a metal bedpan down over her head. She dropped like a log. "What the hell?" he exclaimed looking from the unconscious woman to the unconcerned girl maybe ten years younger than him as she stared at him expectantly.

"Can we go now?" Lane asked him instead, and watched as he threw his hands up exasperated.

She was impossible, he thought to himself as he checked the hall before opening the door for her to pass him. He walked at her back hoping to mask her from anyone who happened to turn down the hall behind them. She threw open the door to the outside and sighed relieved at seeing the truck and the boy where she'd left them. There was a twitch low in her stomach and she held a hand over it as a thought too small to matter at the moment began to scratch at her mind.

"Don't be mad," she told the disgruntled man behind her, "but can you show me how to set the IV?" She could imagine the severe frown his boyish face was pulling into, but she also knew he'd do it and as long as she saw how it was done she could do it herself next time.

The cold barrel of a gun brushing the back of her head had her coming to a dead stop inches from where Fangs leaned against the door, his eyes widen as he tried to call for her. "Turn around," came a gruff voice laced thick with hatred.

Releasing a shaky breath she turned slowly meeting the black eyes of the man who'd been stalking her for days, who she'd escaped from twice. The nurse lay unconscious on the ground, and with nothing around her to use as a weapon or any possible way to run when he stood a foot away with a gun aimed between her eyes - there wasn't going to be a third time.

If not for her shallow breathing she might have looked almost calm, it only served to make him want it more. "Beg," he ordered.

Weighing the bag on her shoulder feeling like she could hurl it at him for maybe enough time to get the gun away from him, her eyes flicked to his finger resting over the trigger. She'd have to move faster than he could pull it, and from the tremor she could feel in her spine she knew she couldn't. Sweet Pea had said something about her a while ago - she wasn't stupid, but she was reckless. All she needed was time. "No," she told him in a voice that sounded stronger than she felt.

She watched him blink as though stunned, his brows drawing together, his hand shifting its hold on the gun. It was all she needed, and she shoved the bag against him trying to knock the weapon out of his hand but she only hit him in the chest. It had him stepping back trying to regain his footing, but the back of his foot hit the body of the nurse he'd knocked out and he fell hearing the gun clatter on the asphalt as it slid under the truck.

Lane looked down at where he lay sprawled on the ground prepared to climb in the truck and drive away, but she was stopped by the sudden chug of a silencer that had him jolting as a hole tore through his chest.

Unable to catch her breath Lane looked up seeing an achingly familiar hard weathered face framed by long blonde-brown hair. Her chest heaved as she stepped forward throwing her arms around Tall Boy with enough force he grunted. His hands were slow to settle on her back but he sighed at the feel of her and held her tight against him. She'd been so focused on the man watching her she'd completely missed the one watching him.

"I can't stay," she said finding these tears so much harder to swallow. She'd missed him, without her knowing she'd missed him so much.

With a hand cupping the back of her head he bent to kiss her softly. "I know," he said reluctantly letting her go. "Grab his legs." Together they hoisted the large man into the bed of the truck hearing him wheeze as he still clung to life.

Without question Lane followed Tall Boy as he opened the door greeting a wary Fangs who tried to lean away as Tall Boy grabbed him. Carrying the injured boy in his arms like a child Tall Boy took them to the car he'd been driving and helped sit Fangs in the passenger's seat.

She watched Tall Boy walk back to the truck and she turned to Fangs setting the bag on the ground. "How you holding up?" she asked grabbing what she thought she'd need to set the morphine drip.

Fangs tried to shrug but he was too tired, it hurt too much. "I think I dropped my dignity," was his attempt at a joke, and he was rewarded with a flash of her smile as she touched his cheek. "Where the hell did he come from?"

Her answer was the shake of her head because she didn't how Tall Boy had found her, how long he'd been watching her and if it was possible that he never stopped. She wrapped the tourniquet around his arm and waited until she knew for sure she'd found a vein. Her hands were shaking so bad she had to stop and take a breath to pull herself together, it took Fangs' halfhearted encouragement that she couldn't hurt him worse than he already was before she finally felt ready. And she did as she'd seen done, she got the needle in place and screwed in the tube for the pump, the blood surprised her and she cursed herself for not grabbing gauze in the first place, and then she taped it down. Pulling out her hair tie she used it to hook the morphine pouch to the handle above the door. It wasn't her finest work but it got the job done.

"Not bad," Tall Boy said having come back and silently observed her.

With a hand on the car she pulled herself to her feet holding a hand at the base of her aching back. Carefully she shut the door, finding that she didn't want Fangs apart of this. "What now?" she asked when she really wanted to ask him to stay.

"He's got someone at the dividing line between here and the Southside," Tall Boy told her seeing her sigh heavily as she reached a hand to rub her stomach. "No doubt they've got orders to take you out. Give me a little time, I'll draw 'em off." He held out the phone he'd taken off the guy in the back of the truck. "They're likely to know to watch for your boy and to follow him if he crosses into this part of town." He watched her nod knowing she was smart enough to figure out he was telling her not to call anyone just yet. "I don't know what you had over Lodge to make him hesitate as long as he did the first time, but you need to do it again."

It was the only real card Lane ever really had, everything she'd been doing and working for was in the futile hope she wouldn't have to play it. But she was looking up at Tall Boy's eyes, green like hers only darker, and she tried to remember why she should hate him. He couldn't come back, she knew that and she knew better than to ask when the answer would just break her heart further. "Will I see you again?" she asked instead.

Everything she wouldn't say could be heard in that simple question. It had his face softening as he reached for her small hand. "Memorize the number that comes up, and call if you ever need me." He held her pale gaze moments longer, wishing they had more time. His hand brushed the swell of her stomach as he bent to kiss her cheek, feeling her lean into his embrace before he stepped away. Knowing if he didn't leave her now he never would.

She couldn't watch him leave her without wanting to ask him to stay, at least for a little longer. And they didn't have time for that. So she turned away, and she climbed back in the car reaching instead for Fangs who still needed her. He was floating in a thick fog and he barely stirred when she wiped his sweaty brow. She hoped that meant he wasn't in pain.

She pulled out of the parking lot and drove in the opposite direction, further from the place they considered home. And she thought of Sweet Pea, who she still wanted, feeling the phone in her pocket just a call away from hearing his voice. But he'd try to find her no matter how many times she made him promise to stay, and if there was someone waiting for either her or him to appear then that couldn't happen yet.

So she drove, away from the boy she felt she desperately needed in order to be okay, away from the people she knew would take care of her and more importantly Fangs who needed someone better than her. And she was just so goddamn tired.

Pulling into a parking garage she parked them on the lowest floor in a corner so that someone would have to cross in front of her in order to find her, the perfect vantage point. And very gently she closed the door on an almost peacefully sleeping Fangs as she pulled the phone out. With a hand set low on her stomach as though to hold the tiny flutter she kept feeling off and on, a timid thought came to her as she raised the phone to her ear.

"Is it done?" Hiram asked in the place of hello. He expected a clipped affirmative, a picture of a body to prove it. But at the continued silence he sat back grinding his teeth. "Lane."

Everything she needed to know was heard in his cold voice, and she was left with the one reason for him continuing to come after her – she had something over him, and he didn't like to lose. "The easy response is for me to threaten Veronica again," she said leaning against the trunk as she stared at the empty concrete surrounding them.

"That is what I was expecting," he admitted, and with three bodies under her belt it seemed like Lane was exactly the kind of person who'd go through with it. But that's not what he was hearing, there was a faint sigh in her voice that made her words drag.

Her hand was cupped under her belly as though to cradle it. "My dad's never coming back, and I'll probably always hate you for that. But I'm tired of fighting Mr Lodge," she said in a soft manner, letting her voice break as though with emotion. And she took a deep breath wondering if a small part of her believed what she was saying. "So you decide what it'll take from me to make you stop, because I don't wanna do this anymore." She left him with her sad broken plea, letting him think he'd won because he was the kind of man who could accept her defeat rather than his own.

And she stood wearing an unreadable expression as she came to the sudden realization that there wasn't a breath in her body she'd hesitate to give for this child – there was no reason behind it, no logic. Just love. And that love twisted into something so dark and ugly it almost scared her; this was his last chance, next time she'd kill him.

…

The door to the Wyrm was thrown open with enough force the Serpents harbored inside jumped, or at least what was left of them. They saw FP standing in the threshold bruised and ragged, as were they all. They'd gone to war with the Ghoulies, the trailer park was in flames, their numbers depleted – they'd lost.

FP had gone back to the hospital to stay with Jughead, who still hadn't woken, but a very irate nurse with a hell of a bruise on his temple had found him. So he moved to Sweet Pea, who sat nursing a black eye bruised knuckles and a stiff drink. "You heard from Lane?" he asked quiet enough no one but the boy would overhear.

He knocked back what was left in his glass and slammed it down. He'd gone home long enough to see half her shit was gone along with a suitcase before he came back to the bar, it was part of why he was drinking now.

FP knew the kid was hurting, thinking she'd left him, but they didn't have time for his feelings. "Someone saw her at the hospital this morning," he said meeting Sweet Pea's wide confused eyes when he looked up. There was more, a lot more that involved Fangs being alive and a guy with a gun that was now missing along with both teens, but this wasn't the place for this conversation and there was a gnawing pit in his stomach that they didn't have a lot of time.

Sweet Pea was quick to follow him to the front, seeing in his troubled face there was something bad he wasn't saying. But they threw the door open and stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of Fangs still in a hospital gown with a Serpent on either side of him as they helped move him slowly inside. And behind him was Lane holding the morphine bag making sure the tube didn't catch or tangle. "Watch his arm," she said as they came to the door, and they carefully shifted sideways so his hand didn't hit the wooden frame dislodging the IV.

"Lay him on the couch in the back," Sweet Pea said, quick to move around a stunned FP as he cleared a way for them and made sure the couch was open. He even had it in mind to grab the old coat rack for Lane to tie the bag to. And then he was left watching his best friend lay curled in on himself shaking as Lane, still covered in his blood, moved around him making sure the drip was set right and then to make sure he hadn't torn any stitches.

It ended with Lane kneeling on the floor beside Fangs running a hand over his hair as he stared at her, it was a quiet moment between them; intimate. Sweet Pea stood behind them with his hands stuffed in his pockets suddenly feeling like he didn't belong. But Fangs' eyes were eventually too heavy for him to open and after a moment longer she climbed to her feet, and Sweet Pea was quick to bend and help her up because he knew it was getting harder for her to get up the bigger she got.

They found FP in the bar holding the two bottles Aaron had given him for Fangs. "Pain meds when you're out of the morphine, and antibiotics," he said handing them to her. "I'm gonna go back to the hospital, stay with Jug."

She looked up quickly at that, wondering in a small way what all had happened because both she and Fangs had seen half the trailer park had burned on their way in. But her mind was chugging slowly along and she was feeling so heavy. "Okay," she sighed letting it go. "I'm gonna go home for a bit, take a shower. And then I'll come back and keep taking care of Fangs."

They both shared a tired nod and he fished her keys out of his pocket and handed them to her before leaving. She hesitated in stepping toward the door, and her head turned to Sweet Pea with a question in her eyes – asking if he was coming – it all but destroyed him.

It was a quiet car ride as Sweet Pea drove them home, Lane looking at the either trashed or smoldering remains of what used to be her town. There was a single exchange between them when she quietly asked what happened, his short answer was war with the Ghoulies. But it was enough for her to piece it together, they lost the fight, they lost their homes, what was left of the Serpents were sheltered in the bar. One night, one goddamn night and it'd all gone up in flames.

He parked in the driveway and watched her go around to the trunk pulling out the suitcase she'd stored back there, realizing he'd had the proof she hadn't left the whole time. Quietly he followed her into the house, their house but it seemed colder, and he sat on the couch waiting as she showered knowing from the length of it she was probably crying. Still he waited too ashamed to go to her, to see in her eyes that everything that'd happened or had almost happened to her was his fault.

And then she was standing in front of him, his eyes level with her rounded stomach, and he wanted to hold her. "We should've left," he told her softly.

"It worked out," she said even though she didn't entirely believe that. Part of her would've given anything to have not gone through that, but the rest of her couldn't imagine leaving Fangs to wake in that hospital bed alone. Sweet Pea was opening his mouth to disagree, to tell her she'd been right, but she was quick to speak over him. "Not now." She met his pained eyes and shook her head. "I don't wanna do this now."

"We have to do it sometime," he said needing her to know how sorry he was, that nothing was worth losing her over. Losing them.

But she was still shaking her head, her eyes filling too full for her liking. "I spent all night wanting you," she told him, "I don't wanna do this now."

"Okay," he said rising to his feet and wrapping her in his arms. He rested his cheek on top of her wet head breathing in the feel of her, finding that nothing in this house felt more like home than just the feel of her did. "I trashed the school."

She leaned back looking up at his surprised face. "What?"

That's not what he meant to say, so he tried to correct himself. "I wanted you too," was as close as he could get to explaining what he was feeling.

Nodding she laid her head back on his chest though she still didn't fully understand, but the sentiment was there. He'd been scared about Fangs, and then he'd been heartbroken when he was told Fangs was dead – she'd left him to do that alone

Before she could think of something to say, or do, there was the persistent twitching low in her stomach. But this time she smiled as she looked up at him, the small thought that'd been hanging in the back of her mind now ready to be known. Taking his hand she held it to her stomach and waited, seeing his brows draw together confused before he felt it – the lightest little tap against his fingers. He looked at her finding himself breathless as she nodded, and then he felt it again. Blinking back the flood that filled his eyes he dropped to his knees with his arms around her waist as everything from the past two days finally caught up to him. And he wilted against her with his shoulders shaking at the feel of her hands around his back holding him. Even as he fell apart she held him together.

* * *

 _Guest43: I wish there'd been a way for me to message you and tell you how right you were about Tall Boy! I dropped his name in the last two chapters just to kind of remind everyone of the mark she'd left on his life - a little foreshadowing. So your suggestion of having him come back and save Lane, that made my whole day! (and since he didn't die on screen I've got my fingers crossed on him not actually being dead)_


	30. Chapter 30

Fangs woke to the quiet sound of Lane and Sweet Pea talking in the kitchen, and he laid back on the couch under the blanket she'd tucked him in the night before. The pain in his abdomen had lessened to the feel of a pulled muscle. It still hurt like a bitch but he could at least breathe through it, and he was comforted by the feeling of being home. Warm, and safe.

Since FP was at the hospital not answering her calls Lane made the decision herself to take Fangs home so he could rest; the Wyrm was too crowded and the bathroom too far for him to keep dragging himself to. She'd also given the order for two Serpents to be stationed at the end of their neighborhood and in the neighborhood behind them. Today was the deciding day on whether she needed the security measure.

"I don't like you going alone," Sweet Pea said following her into the living room as she got ready to leave.

His hand on her back stopped her from trying to bend down and she watched him kneel in front of her grabbing her shoes. She was caught between love and annoyance as he was either impossibly sweet or impossibly protective. "I'm not gonna be alone."

His eyes were hard as he looked up at her. "The sheriff doesn't count, I don't want you near him." He unhappily caught the irony of that, given the sheriff was why Lane knew they needed to leave in the first place – and he saw something flash briefly in her eyes along the same lines, but she loved him too much to throw it in his face when she knew how sorry he was. "I don't understand why I can't go."

"Because someone needs to stay with Fangs," she told him simply as he walked her outside. "And since no one's trying to kill you, you get to stay with him." She watched him sigh unhappy with that, and everything else because there honestly wasn't much to be happy about at the present time. "Go be his best friend," she said rising to her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

"Fine," he sighed giving in.

As she knew he would, because they'd spent a large chunk of last night talking about where to go from here, and her confidence in this being the right move made it easier for him to let her go. "I'm gonna deal with this and then I'll go to the store so I can feed everyone," she said as she stepped away from him, towards the car Mac was waiting in to drive her. "Because apparently with Jughead in a coma and FP falling apart I'm the only one that can do anything." She was mostly mumbling to herself at this point, about it not being enough for her to be having a kid she had to be everyone's mom as well.

Two hours later she threw the door open holding an armful of bags still grumbling about it, only now it was because no one wanted the same thing to eat. Mac came behind her carrying the rest, along with the disposable pans she'd gotten to carry everything. He set everything on the counter, made sure she didn't need anything else, and moved back to the living room to see Sweet Pea pausing the game he and Fangs were playing.

"Here," Sweet Pea said shoving the controller in Mac's hands before moving to stand by Lane in the kitchen. "How'd it go?"

She looked over her shoulder to see Mac sitting on the couch beside Fangs before turning back to the bags she was unloading. "It went like I thought it would," she said with a shrug. Hiram had called her the night before asking to meet with her, the Sheriff's office was her idea because though she didn't trust Minetta she knew nothing would happen to her there. "He very graciously agreed to back down, no more forced arrangements or using situational opportunities to try to take me out."

"You really convinced him you weren't a threat," he said having not thought she could do it. Or that she should, but he was seeing now how smart she'd played it: she'd made herself a sad weak kid with no moves left to play, she had nothing else to give, he'd won.

"I even squeezed out a tear, you would've been proud." Whether or not she believed Hiram had nothing else planned for her, it was the first time she left him not feeling like she'd find death at every turn. It was a relief, a wary provisional relief.

A very small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he bent to kiss her, and he would've gone on kissing her if she hadn't pulled away to start cooking. He stayed at her side watching her, he chopped vegetables and cooked noodles - the little things she gave him to do - or snuck little bits to munch on before she caught him.

A while later she had four trays of lasagna and three with burritos that she and Sweet Pea carried out of the kitchen. "Which one of us is going?" Lane asked, because they'd been alternating who left the house and who stayed with Fangs.

"Why don't you both go, I'll stay," Mac said not taking his eyes off the TV.

Lane and Sweet Pea turned to each other sharing a brief look before shrugging, trying not to make it obvious how much they wanted to go together. "You need anything before we go?" Lane made sure to ask Fangs, who shook his head without turning to her.

Not chancing to ask anything else they made their way to the Wyrm, almost wishing it was farther because this was the first moment they'd had to themselves in what felt like forever. "You alright?" he asked at her groan as they climbed out of the car.

With a hand to her back Lane shook her head. "We're getting very close to me not being able to do that anymore." She was finding more and more things she was starting to not be able to do and most of them involved getting up.

He did his very best not to smile because he knew it'd lead to him laughing, which is what he'd done last night when she needed him to help her out of the tub. It wasn't just because of the belly, she could still move around fairly well, it was because of her back; and more than that, which is what made it so hard for him not to smile, was that she was short and it made her stomach seem so much bigger.

"I can see you," she said making him finally break into a fit of laughter as he grabbed the food from the back.

Righting himself he set the containers on the hood and turned fitting his hands around the small of her back as he pulled her closer. "I promise to always be here to help you up," he said biting back a smile, and it only made it harder for him when he saw the way she pressed her lips together.

In a forcedly bland tone she replied, "my hero." Their faintly grinning mouths met in the middle for what was meant to be a quick peck before they went inside, but something warm passed between them and he sighed against her pulling her closer.

"Is that food?"

Disappointed they pulled away and turned to the Serpent who'd caught sight of the containers and came hurrying over. The two stayed for awhile talking; not much had changed in the last couple days, Jughead still hadn't woken, FP still hadn't come back, no one that was left had a home to go to. They were all so glad for an actual meal that the majority of them hugged Lane, and then rubbed her growing belly as though for luck.

But eventually the two returned to the car and sat a moment enjoying being out of the house, of being together because with everything going on it seemed like one of them was always gone. "Is there anything you need to do?" Lane asked looking for a reason to stay out.

He shook his head feeling as disappointed as she looked. It seemed crazy to him that he could sleep next to her all night and still find himself missing her, hanging out and talking about nothing, being bored together. "Why can't our appointment be today?" he asked thinking that would've been the perfect thing for them to do, especially since he had to work tomorrow.

"Because Dr Schafer wasn't available," she reminded him, knowing the thought of not being there was killing him. He was gonna be a nightmare to get out of the house tomorrow.

Huffing he sat back and pouted as he looked at her, trying not to think of how close he'd let himself get to losing her – to losing them. "Is he moving yet?" he asked, and heaved a heavy sigh when she shook her head. The feel of her leaning against him made him feel slightly better, enough for him to turn kissing the top of her head as she laid it on his shoulder. "I've got one thing," he said, having thought about it last night when he'd been laying with her trying to fall asleep. As she sat up looking at him hopefully he finished it with, "but you're not allowed to hit me."

Her once pleasant face hardened with suspicion knowing it was something she wasn't gonna like. Yet still she nodded and let him drive, and she quietly found herself standing in a tattoo parlor watching as Sweet Pea hopped into the chair knowing exactly what he wanted.

He set his left hand on the table and pointed to his ring finger. "Just a thin band all the way around."

"No," Lane said looking to the man who'd moved to get what he needed. "This is not happening. I did not say yes."

Grinning rather smugly Sweet Pea nodded to the guy to let him know to keep going, and then he turned to Lane. "I had to find some way to tie you down," he said with a shrug.

She rolled her eyes refusing the smile that pulled at her mouth. "I'm having a kid with you." But he only shrugged again as the room was suddenly filled with the buzzing needle. "This is ridiculous," she muttered to herself as she turned finding something else to look at.

"But you'll say yes," he goaded with his dark eyes fixed on her back.

Shaking her head she dryly replied, "of course I'll say yes."

A wide grin spread on his face as he turned to see the guy was already half done. It wasn't much longer before they returned to the car and he sat behind the wheel, left once more with the same want to stay out with her.

A couple hours later Mac stepped outside their house to call Lane to ask where they were, and he stopped at the sight of the car in the driveway. Creeping closer he saw the two of them sitting inside with the windows down hearing Lane laughing at something Sweet Pea was telling her. "Hey guys," he said getting their attention, watching both of their faces straighten with mirrored looks of guilt. Reluctant, and awkward, Sweet Pea turned the key enough so they could roll up the windows before they both climbed out and went inside.

.^.

"I don't understand why I can't go," Sweet Pea whined as he followed Lane around the house as she gathered his things into his backpack.

Shuffling around in slippers and one of Sweet Pea's shirts she grabbed her file folder and put it in with his stuff. "The shop's now at half staff, Spyder really needs you," she said moving to the kitchen to make his lunch.

While she went to the fridge he grabbed the bread out of the cupboard and a ziplock bag from the drawer. "I'll take off early, he'll understand," he said still whining because he was seeing she wasn't gonna change her mind. He was only ready to go because she'd dressed him.

"It's an hour away," she told him making his sandwich. "You'd only be working an hour before we had to leave." Hearing the rush of air he forced past his lips she turned cupping his face. "I'll call you, okay, it will be fine." Rising on her tiptoes she kissed him gently before turning back to finish packing his lunch.

He wanted to keep pouting but her hair was messy, which he'd done the night before, and though he knew she hadn't slept well, because she kept waking him up too bitter over his getting to sleep, he thought she looked really pretty that morning. So he moved behind her wrapping his arms around her middle, letting her move his hand so he could feel where the baby was kicking. And he smiled, for a moment, before he realized he wouldn't get to see its little face.

She felt him sigh against her and she turned around in his arms to face him. "Do you want me to reschedule? He's off next week but we can see the other doctor."

"The one who was gonna do the abortion, absolutely not," was his immediate refusal. Which is what he'd said when they first rescheduled, he didn't want to wait which was why he'd agreed to a day he couldn't go. And even now unhappy at the thought of missing it he still didn't wanna wait. The thought of coming home knowing what it was allowed him to release a breath and say, "I'll be fine."

She knew he wouldn't, he'd spend the entire day in a horrid mood. But she patted his arm and walked him to the door, reaching up to kiss him when he leaned down. Locking the door behind him she looked to Fangs who lay on the couch. "I didn't think he'd leave," she admitted, kind of bummed herself he wasn't going.

But Fangs only shrugged as he gingerly worked himself up higher so he could sit. "He really wants to know what it is."

Almost sadly Lane sat beside him as they found something on TV, considering rescheduling again but not even she wanted that. It came to her hours later on the drive over, stopping at Thistlehouse to pick up Cheryl since Fangs wasn't quite mobile yet, and she smiled to herself knowing Sweet Pea would be happy after he got over being angry.

…

He kept his phone on him all through work, checked it obsessively until he finally admitted to himself she wasn't calling. He didn't want to be mad at her, she was excited and he knew she brought Cheryl and it probably slipped her mind – but he could feel it swell behind his eyes as he continued working on the car.

Thirty minutes after he'd clocked out he finally came through the front door holding a bag and a large pillow under an arm. "What's all that?" Lane asked standing up from the couch.

"This is for you to sleep on," he said handing her the pillow. "I read a lot moms use it to support their stomachs. And I got lotion for the itching," also something he read a lot of moms complained about. "I also got cake to celebrate, but I didn't know whether to get pink or blue frosting so I got chocolate." He started mumbling irritably at the end as he shoved the cake in the fridge. And he sighed coming back into the living room staring down at where she was waiting for him with a small smile and an envelop she'd grabbed out of her purse. "What's that?"

Trying not to let her smile grow she handed it to him. "The answer to pink or blue frosting," she said watching his brows draw together before his face slackened with understanding. "I wasn't gonna find out without you," she told him softly.

He blinked down at her finding she continued to take his breath away. "I love you," he stated like it was the simplest thing.

"I know," she said with a gentle smile.

Fangs waited anxiously on the couch hiding his grin behind his knuckles watching them move next to each other as Lane opened the envelope, trying to read it off their faces. Lane blinked as she read and reread, and then reread, that one simple word. With a breath of a laugh Sweet Pea smiled falling to his knees with a hand on either side of her stomach, and he took a moment to catch his breath and blink the water from his eyes. "Hey baby girl," he said quietly kissing Lane's stomach.

Her smile was small as she looked down at him, trying to swallow the knot in her throat. "She yawned," she told him, her voice small in the way that it cracked.

He met her watery eyes realizing she'd thought of everything. "You took a video." She nodded and he kissed her stomach again before he stood catching her mouth, and he pressed kisses to it over and over feeling her smile.

They settled on the other end of the couch and Fangs listened to their soft voices as she showed Sweet Pea the video, and then rewound it when he asked to see it again. Quietly Fangs watched them feeling a little out of place in their lives, and somehow in a short time they'd made a pretty good one with what they had.

.^.

It was easier getting Sweet Pea out of the house the next day, not by much because he'd rather lay around the house hanging out with her and Fangs. This time she put both her file folder and the sad excuse of a folder Fangs used for his classes in Sweet Pea's backpack. "If you have to forget someone's work make sure it's his," she told Sweet Pea firmly. His response was a peck on her forehead as he turned away doing a bad job hiding his amusement.

Fangs climbed to his feet, wincing as he held a hand to his abdomen, but he waved her off wanting to do it himself. "I got this," he told her with more confidence than she felt.

"Okay," she relented, hovering close to him in case his legs gave out.

It wasn't long after they finished breakfast that a knock sounded on the door. They shared a look, neither really wanting to get back up, and they reached a silent understanding and raised their hands in position for rock paper scissors.

With a not so quiet groan Lane scooted herself off the couch and ambled to the door. The sight of Jughead's heavily bruised and scabbed face had her pausing before she raised a hand to his half-healed cheek. "This might be the stupidest thing you've ever done," she told him simply.

Chuckling mildly he gave a dry retort: "coming from our knocked up future valedictorian."

A beat passed between them before they both smiled and she opened the door wider to let him in. "Hey Jones," Fangs greeted as he slowly stood. They shook hands briefly before Fangs pulled him into a quick hug that ended in them both wincing.

"Good to see you're okay," Jughead said, needing to see Fangs alive before he let himself believe it. And even then he was having a hard time. But he turned to Lane, whose own fate had been uncertain when he left. "My dad wasn't sure if things were okay for you, that's why he didn't call."

Lane rolled her eyes as she stuffed her feet into a pair of slippers Sweet Pea had gotten because they had a hard sole and she could walk outside in them. "Well if he'd answer my calls I could've told him."

"With everything that happened, maybe you could give him a break," Jughead offered hearing Fangs snort behind him.

Turning to Jughead Lane answered with a concise, "no," and pulled the door open. "Come on, Fangs we'll be back."

They walked slowly side by side, Jughead still sore and Lane's girth was starting to slow her down. She asked him how Betty was doing with her dad, he admitted that he wasn't sure she was doing well. And then she filled him in on everything he missed of her and Fangs' night, of stealing him from the hospital, running from a guy with a gun, Tall Boy, her talk with Hiram.

It made so much sense Jughead didn't know how they hadn't seen it before, the only thing that linked Hiram's every attack on Lane was that she'd had something to use against him – especially considering when he used the baby against her was the first time he hadn't made a threat to her life. "What happens if he comes after you again?" Jughead asked, looking at her face to see something close to peace.

"I'll kill him."

His first reaction was to laugh shortly but her face didn't change and he sobered quickly. "Come on," he said knowing that couldn't be her final plan. She didn't do rash actions, she manipulated and coerced events into being.

But she shrugged. "Sweet Pea and I talked about it, there's no way anyone would believe I didn't have something to do with it. So I take the fall, he raises her, and she'll never have to worry about him." Sweet Pea hated the idea and they'd gone round and round never finding a different answer, it ended with him promising they'd leave after graduation. But now, she wasn't sure if she wanted to leave.

Jughead nodded to himself unsure what to think only that she was right, especially with the new Sheriff knowing her history with Lodge. He found himself thinking of Tall Boy, if he might be the only one who'd give up his life so that Lane could have hers. And her daughter's – his groggy mind finally picked up Lane's use of pronoun and he turned to her. "She?"

It'd been so easy for her to settle into the fact that it was girl she forgot other people wouldn't know. And she turned to Jughead with a grin and shrugged.

He nudged her with his elbow before throwing an arm around her shoulder as they walked back to the house. "It's a good look for you," he told her.

"Shut up," she said shoving him away.

With a laugh he walked in step beside her thinking that it was, really, a good look for her. She was still Lane but…softer. And it left him wondering when exactly this change had occurred for her, because he was only now realizing it might've been Sweet Pea that'd done it.

.^.

She stayed with Fangs the next day too, she said it was because going back on a Friday seemed pointless, but they all knew she wasn't ready to leave him yet. Yesterday had been the first day he'd really been able to move around without help, and he couldn't get far without needing to rest. So she'd go back next week, catch up on all of the work she missed, make sure Fangs did too, and maybe he'd be feeling up to coming back with her.

Her day consisted of paperwork for the garage, going over the inventory logged on the computer Sweet Pea had brought home for her, entering in receipts, taking a call from Spyder who asked her to track down a part for a specific model that wasn't made anymore. And then making dinner for the Serpents sleeping at the Wyrm. It felt nice to be doing something. But Fangs noticed how much lighter she seemed when Sweet Pea finally came home, even though he came home furious that Weatherbee was kicking the Southsiders out of Riverdale High.

Later that night Fangs, who wasn't tired because he wasn't doing anything, looked to where they sat on the other end of the couch: Lane sat at the very end with the chaise but she had her legs curled under her as she laid over Sweet Pea's chest who sat beside her with his feet on the floor. "Why does she sit there if she's not gonna use it?" Fangs asked with his legs stretched out on his end of the couch.

"Because she's pregnant and she gets what she wants," Sweet Pea mumbled sitting with his head back and his eyes closed.

"I heard that."

While Fangs quickly turned away trying to look innocent, Sweet Pea smiled squeezing her. "You ready for bed?" he asked knowing he was.

And she was too, she'd been ready for bed when she got out of it that morning. "I guess," she said a little sadly. "She's just gonna start moving when I lay down."

Climbing to his feet he turned gathering his arms around her and picked her up carrying her to the room. "Maybe we'll rock her to sleep," he said laughing when she smacked his head.

"Don't say it like that, that makes it weird," she said feeling his shoulders shaking from the laugh he was holding in.

From the couch Fangs asked with mild annoyance, "should I turn the volume up?" And he rolled his eyes when they both called back a yes. "It's no wonder you're pregnant," he said to himself as he grabbed the remote.

.^.

It was like pulling teeth but Sweet Pea finally convinced Lane to come to work with him and let Fangs stay home by himself – Sweet Pea was rather proud himself, he'd used her increased pay and their need to support a baby against her and it worked like a charm. It also earned him a well deserved slap because he'd made the mistake of looking smug when she finally did agree.

"I'll call if I need you," Fangs assured her for the third time. "I will also keep my phone on me because I know you're gonna call."

Looking miserable Lane nodded grabbing her bag of snacks as they moved to the door, and she lifted her foot as Sweet Pea slid her shoe on and tied it. He made sure to kiss her stomach before standing, and they both said goodbye to Fangs who sat on the couch alone suddenly regretting that he sided with Sweet Pea on Lane leaving.

…

He jerked awake at the sound of the door opening and he looked up to see Lane carrying grocery bags to the kitchen. Turning off the television he made his way slowly after her. "You're home early," he said when he saw it was three thirty.

"Yeah, I'm making dinner," she said unloading the many boxes of spaghetti along with all of the ground beef she'd gotten from the store. "Got those for you too," she said pointing to the crutches propped against the wall.

He leaned against the counter talking to her about nothing really, and it felt so nice to just be happy for once. Hell, she even looked it. When she filled the oversized metal container she put the lid on and awkwardly maneuvered it into her short arms. "I'm gonna need you to get the door," she said, and waited as he grabbed one of the crutches and hobbled to the door opening it.

Picking up Sweet Pea from the shop they made their way to the Wyrm and Sweet Pea found himself helping both Fangs and Lane out of the car, Fangs was understandable but he gave Lane a hard time as he grabbed the container from the back. There was a chorus of cheers and whoops in the bar at the sight of Fangs, someone happily grabbed the food from Sweet Pea and he settled with his arm around her shoulder as they watched everyone gathering around to see their boy.

There was a moment where things felt normal for all of them as they sat sharing a meal, they weren't hanging on by the skin of their teeth, they weren't homeless and in need of a leader who still hadn't come. A moment where they talked and they laughed. But it passed, as all moments do.

Toni burst into the Wyrm catching sight of Lane and Sweet Pea and made a beeline for them. "Cheryl said the Sheriff is raiding the bar, she's getting Jughead we need to get ready."

As if knowing this had to end everyone stood gathering their things, helping those who needed it, and waited for the boy who was stepping up when his father wouldn't. Lane and Sweet Pea were talking quietly amongst themselves, Lane looking particularly reasonable and Sweet Pea looking very protective as he begrudgingly nodded.

Lane was forcing Fangs to his feet when Jughead arrived with Archie and Cheryl in tow. "You shouldn't be here," Jughead said when he saw the two of them, who couldn't make a run for it. He'd had a plan, he was gonna have to make another one for them.

But it was Lane, and she knew how to think for herself. "I'll drive him just tell me where."

Jughead was shaking his head not wanting either her or Fangs on the streets, especially Fangs. But Archie, knowing they didn't have time to spare, told her, "my house."

Taking that in stride she turned to Fangs ushering him towards the doors. "Can we pick up the pace?"

"I got shot," he reminded her irritably.

"And I look and feel like I swallowed a basketball, hop to."

Getting him in the car she drove toward the Northside and opened the glove compartment. "The sheriff's card's somewhere in here, find it and call him for me," she told Fangs hitting the light so he could see. It didn't take him long to find it and he held the ringing phone out to her. She heard his quiet hello beneath a wailing siren and she stopped the car in front of the bridge that'd take them to the Northside seeing the car parked off to the side, lying in wait. "Sheriff Minetta, it's Lane. I'm taking Fangs back to the hospital and noticed a patrol car by the bridge. What happens if I try to cross it?"

She listened hearing the static of his radio and what she thought was a sigh, but it was hard to tell from the siren. "He'll check your car, make sure it's just the two of you, and he'll escort you to the hospital," he finally answered, deciding he didn't want her caught in the middle of this.

"Thank you," she told him, finding it troubling that even she almost believed the sincerity in her tone. She drove forward and stopped waiting as the deputy climbed out of his car and flashed a light through the window seeing it was her and the Serpent kid Minetta had just radioed him about. He had her pop the trunk and when he was satisfied they weren't hiding anyone he told her to follow him. "Call Jughead, tell him the bridge is clear."

"But what about us?" he asked not knowing what they were gonna do. If they lost the officer he'd just call the Sheriff to alert him something was up who'd then find the Serpents running on foot, and quite frankly Fangs did not wanna go back to the hospital.

"I'll take care of it," she told him sounding so sure of herself he sat back and called Jughead, letting her do her thing.

They made it halfway before she slammed on her breaks, and the deputy in front of them stopped and backed up ready to call the Sheriff. But Lane stumbled out of the car holding her stomach and he quickly hopped out rushing to her. "Hey, tell me what's going on. What do you need?" he asked with a hand on her arm as she whimpered.

As he leaned forward she reached up slamming his head against the hood of the car, and his limp body dropped to the ground. Nudging him lightly with her foot Lane climbed back in her car and drove off.

It was quiet as she headed for the Andrews' house, Fangs sat watching her with a mix of awe and fear. "You scare the hell out of me sometimes," he told her.

She responded with a toneless, "thank you."

They pulled up to the house and Fred came out having been told to expect them. "Here," he said helping the still injured boy out of the car and up the stairs, leaving Lane to follow. "It's good to see you kid," he said gently clapping her on the shoulder when they were inside. He remembered when her Archie and Jughead would play together, she'd been so straightforward and honest even as a kid, she also used to be the sweetest thing. "Your usual?" he asked seeing her small smile as she bent to pet Vegas.

The two teens sat in the kitchen sipping the hot chocolate Fred made them as he told Lane a few stories about her old man and his history with the Serpents – which was why he wasn't really surprised to find out she was with them.

They all turned at the door opening to see Jughead and Archie followed by a group of almost thirty Serpents. Fred came around to greet them, and Sweet Pea pushed his way into the kitchen to where Lane stood waiting. Without warning he pulled her to him holding her tight, having thought for a brief terrible second he wasn't gonna see her again. "I'm okay too," Fangs said. "In case you were wondering."

Rolling his eyes Sweet Pea squeezed her before letting go and turning to Fangs punching his arm almost playfully. Lane watched them with a quaint little grin, that fell when her phone buzzed in her pocket. Looking at the number she stepped outside closing the door. "I know," she said with a sigh in the place of hello.

There was a pause on the other end, as though considering her response. "Well at least you're sorry about it," Minetta said having known she was playing him when she first called. And yet he still found himself agreeable to her. "You somewhere safe?"

Her answer was a soft, "yeah."

"Good," he told her simply, having really only called to gage her reaction. Or more importantly, her reaction to him. "And Lane," he added before she hung up, "you're welcome."

Beside herself she smiled, liking him more than she should've. Which was the point, she was always supposed to like him. Returning the phone to her pocket she joined the others inside to find them talking about sleeping arrangements.

"Fangs should probably take the couch," Jughead said, not wanting to force him up the stairs.

Both Archie and Fred nodded agreeable to that, and Archie turned to where Lane now stood beside Sweet Pea. "You can take my bed," he told her. "I'll sleep on the floor."

She gave a quiet thank you feeling Sweet Pea's arm come around her back. After a few minutes of discussion they all made their way to their designated corners, and Lane and Sweet Pea settled back on the small bed with Jughead, Archie, and Toni on the floor next to them. There was light chatter before they turned the light out, Toni finally got to feel her kick and then Jughead wanted to feel and then Lane offered it to Archie who smiled giving her his hand.

Sweet Pea fell asleep with his arms around her and Lane sighed quietly as her legs ached and the baby continued squirming, and it was killing her not being able to toss and turn since Sweet Pea was pressed right up against her back.

"Hey," Jughead whispered sitting up beside where she lay, the only one awake to hear her sighs, "wanna go for a walk?"

Slipping out from under Sweet Pea's arm she followed Jughead outside, and with his jacket slung over her shoulders they walked side by side talking quietly together.

.^.

"Nice," Fangs said with a grin when he turned to Lane, who sat beside him on the couch, to see her balancing her plate on her stomach as she cut up her pancakes.

She nodded pretty happy with herself, seeing Sweet Pea reach a hand to grab the bacon she'd scooted to the edge of her plate. Catching movement out of the corner of her eye she looked up to see both Jughead and Archie in the doorway looking at her. "I just sat down," she told them, seeing their sympathetic nods. With a growl of a sigh she set her plate on Sweet Pea's lap and scooted herself off the couch, feeling his hand on her back as he helped push her up.  
She stood in the doorway with a hand on her back listening as Archie told her his plan to convince Weatherbee to let the Southsiders stay at Riverdale High. "You want me to call Reggie so he can corral the rest of the Bulldogs," she said getting to the point since he wouldn't.

"He does like you," Jughead said knowing if anyone was gonna convince him in a timely manner, it'd be her.

But Archie was shaking his head. "No, he's scared of you like everyone else."

Damn right, Lane thought feeling a smirk trying to form on her mouth. "You call Veronica?" she asked and rolled her eyes when Archie shook his head. "In terms of actually getting things done she takes a very close second to me. I swear I have to do everything," she muttered as she wrenched open the door.

The two boys stood staring at where she stood on the lawn holding the phone to her ear, first not hearing her but then they really heard her as Lane snapped at a reluctant Reggie and told him where to be and when. "It's crazy how well this suits her," Archie said having never seen her be a Serpent. But he'd seen her work the school, he could only imagine what she was like in the gang.

"Yeah well, her dad was half Serpent," Jughead replied with a faint smile.

Archie nodded having known that, but he turned to Jug and took it further. "I heard my parents talking about her the other day, my mom saw her and couldn't believe she was pregnant or that she was a Serpent. Did you know Lane's mom lived on the Southside?"

They shared a similar unknowing look as Jughead shook his head. "I don't know much about her mom," he admitted. "I don't think she does either." He turned back to Lane, who was talking quieter again as she spoke with Veronica, wondering how far her family's roots went on the Southside.

"My dad was saying her mom used to sneak around with a Serpent before she settled with Lane's dad. I don't think a lot of people knew about it."

That gave Jughead pause as he watched Lane pace slowly along the yard. Lane, who'd fallen for the rough around the edges gang member – unknowingly following in her mother's footsteps. He waited as she finally hung up and came back letting them know Veronica was on her way. "You gonna go with her to help?" Jughead asked turning as she moved passed him with the intention of returning to the couch.

She turned back with a tired sigh. "No, I'm gonna stay here help clean up then I'll get everyone over to the riverside and set up camp."

Jughead nodded, having gone over what the Serpents' next step was last night as they walked around the neighborhood. Although she hadn't mentioned she planned to stay home to make sure that happened. "Don't think I'm not noticing you still aren't wearing your Serpent jacket at school," he teased mildly.

"Way to remind her she's too big to fit in it," Archie was quick to say.

With widened eyes Jughead looked from Archie to Lane, both wearing similar disgruntled expressions, and as he was about to apologize Lane snorted unable to hold it any longer. "Your face," she laughed, trying and failing to keep a straight face. She turned back to the living room smacking Archie's chest as she went. "I remember why I used to like you."

Grinning Archie turned to a hard-faced Jughead and raised a shoulder having not been to help it. "Yeah, I remember why I used to hate you two together," Jughead said with a shake of his head as he walked outside, leaving a still grinning Archie to follow.

…

They found the camp later that day after school, tents were scattered on the bank along with coolers and chairs and a few couches, and metal trashcans that smoldered for warmth. It wasn't much, but it was theirs.

He found Lane standing beside Fangs, who leaned against the crutch he carried with him, both smiling at something he'd said. Sweet Pea came up behind her wrapping his arms around her waist as he bent to kiss her cheek. "I take it the plan worked," she said reading his good mood.

His answer was a quiet, "yeah," as he stood with mouth pressed to her temple looking around at everything they'd done. "You get us a tent?"

"No," Cheryl said firmly coming up beside them holding Toni's hand. "The mother of my godchild is not living in a tent, try again." As she looked at him with a stern expression Toni wrapped her arms around Cheryl with a warm smile pulling her away.

He did a bad job at hiding his annoyance, but he still stood holding Lane tight against him. "We've got an air mattress," he suggested.

Beside them Fangs piped in with, "she got a bigger tent for the three of us."

She felt Sweet Pea's smile as he hugged her closer and she pressed her lips together to hide hers. "I might be convinced to a couple nights a week." Looking up at him she added, "tonight will not one of them."

He was more than happy with that, slowly gathering that Fangs was staying here and they'd have the house to themselves again. They hung out the rest of the day, splitting up for a time as they sat in different groups, enjoying being around their people again. But night fell and they said their goodbyes before heading home, and they settled back on their couch enjoying being alone together again.

She sat with her legs stretched out watching the 'boring' show Sweet Pea hated as he sat with his head on her shoulder rubbing her belly. "I swear to god if you wake her up," she warned knowing he was trying to. "I didn't get any sleep last night."

With a scoff he sat up looking over at her. "I know for a fact you slept," he told her, a mischievous gleam in his dark eyes. Without warning he turned with his back to her and fell heavy against her with head thrown back and his arm draped over her.

Lane's laughter filled their warm house as she pushed against him. "I did not lay on you this much," she said between chuckles.

"Babe," he said mimicking her from last night, "babe, scoot over."

Her laughter dissolved into giggles feeling his shoulders shaking against her. But her face quickly straightened and she muttered, "dammit, Sweet Pea." Almost to the second he rolled over laying his head on Lane's chest with his hand cupping her stomach.

He felt Lane sigh before she moved his hand, and he waited patiently barely breathing not wanting to miss it. And he felt it, that faint little tap against his fingers. With a smile he softly said, "there's my girl."

She loved him so much in that moment, more than she thought a person could love anything. And she laid a gentle hand over his head and sighed, happily.

* * *

 _I really wanted to end with this scene, it's just so light and happy - and it was a great reward after all the crap they just got through. The only two scenes I'm really missing from the finale are Cheryl getting her jacket, and Archie getting arrested. Lane doesn't really affect either of those, she's just present for both - but I will touch upon Cheryl being a Serpent when I start writing again._

 _So this is the end for now. I just want to thank you all for reading, and to everyone who left reviews, it means so much that you stuck with me and I hoped you enjoyed it. And a special thanks to starryeyedauthor who reviewed every chapter - it meant the world to me and really helped keep me motivated.  
See you all again sometime in October!_


	31. Chapter 31 - Season 3

_And so starts my new "darker" season 3. I put quotes around dark because that term is a bit overused, but this is pretty dark (and it kind of always has been). I would like to say, this is a very broken Lane and she's more like she was at the very beginning - you see the hard bitchy mask she wears, and then in quiet moments you see how sad she is. And it's true of her relationship with Sweet Pea, they're back to how they were before they liked each other (with possibly angry hate sex in the future). She's gonna have to fall before she can rise again, and really this kind of feels more like Lane to me._

 _I did do an alternate version of season three that is a little more lighthearted, has a new OC that will help Lane grow as a character, and has Lane and Sweet Pea growing as friends (building up all that sexual tension again) until by the end they come back together stronger. I will continue this story through season three, it even comes with an alternate ending. If you're interested you can find this in the story titled, Tower Over Me (With Your Arms Like Towers)._

* * *

He sat alone in a not quite comfortable chair listening to the incessant drone of the heart monitor attached to Lane's chest as she lay utterly still in the bed beside him. The only sign time had passed was the blackened bruise that discolored half her face had turned a sick green, and they'd drained the excess fluid from her skull twice. It'd been a week since the accident and he didn't move, and she didn't wake.

Rebecca was in the cafeteria looking for something to eat, which he hadn't done much of. She hadn't either. She'd come as soon as Sweet Pea called, and he'd done his best not to cry when he told her what happened. The crying had stopped by now, not because he was done but because there wasn't anything left. And he wondered what would be left for him if she never woke up, if there was a way to survive losing them both. So he didn't move.

Consciousness was slow and almost foreign, like being trapped in a thick fog knowing where she was but not being able to find it. When she finally did her mind slammed into awareness, picking up where it'd left off and she looked down to find her arms empty.

Sweet Pea heard the sharp breath she took and he turned in a sluggish daze to see her eyes, those pretty green eyes. "Lane," he croaked, his voice dry from non-use. Relieved.

The last thing she remembered was lying utterly exhausted on the roof of her overturned car holding their daughter. She was so beautiful, and so very small. But now Lane looked around her confused and out of place as she pulled at the tube in her nose feeling panic rising in her chest as she tried to find her baby.

Behind him the monitor beeped faster and Sweet Pea stood hovering over her, gently grabbing her hands to keep her from pulling out the IV she'd just found. "Lane stop," he tried telling her as she pulled away from him, that damn monitor seemed so loud and it was racing. "Look at me, baby, look – hey, you need to breathe."

She finally stopped with her face cupped in his hands and she looked up at him pleading. "Where is she?" His eyes were so pained and hollow and his mouth gaped wordlessly, and she was too smart not to understand. "No," she said shaking her head, pushing him away. Refusing to believe it like that might make it not real. "She's not," but his eyes filled with tears and he tried to hold her, but she kept pushing against him. "Where is she?"

"Stop," he told her and grabbed her arms not letting go no matter how she tried. But his restraining her seemed to make the panic worse and she shoved him with her whole body just trying to get away from him.

"Where is she?" she cried, her voice a piercing wail that broke him. "Where's my baby?"

He laid over her flattening her against the bed, feeling his warm tears soak in the pillow while she thrashed against him screaming. A nurse came in with Rebecca close behind, having run to find someone when she came back and saw Lane so close to tears. Within a few minutes the sedative they administered turned Lane's screams to weeping that eventually fell silent as she went numb.

Several hours later the two lay pressed together not knowing how to exist in a world without their daughter, and it was all they could do to breathe. Lane's blinking was slow, her lashes wet from the crying that came off and on, her mind foggy from the drugs and the contusion. "She looked like you," Lane whispered, trying to picture now what she looked like. And hot tears slipped down her cheeks when she couldn't.

Swallowing the lump that'd been wedged deep in his throat since Lane had been found barely hanging on with their lifeless daughter held loosely in her arms, he gave a breathless, "yeah."

They laid together smothered under the weight of too much grief. Something broke between them, and it created a rift neither one had the strength to try and cross.

…

They kept Lane a few days more, not quite happy with the imaging and how the fluid was building in her brain faster than her body could drain it. And she laid quietly in the bed, her tears trapped inside her where she drowned her emotions until all that was left was a searing unbridled rage that threatened to consume her.

She laid on her side with Sweet Pea against her back, his face tucked between her shoulder blades, his arm too tight around her. But her eyes, her burning eyes, glared at the beautiful flowers set on her bedside table so they'd be noticed – Dahlias, her favorite. Rebecca knew how stupid flowers were at a time like this, something to watch slowly die that only reminded a person of the death they'd already faced. So they weren't from Rebecca, and Sweet Pea was the only other person left that knew those were favorite.

Except one.

Reaching for the small card tucked in the leaves she held it for a moment trying to calm her suddenly short breaths. It was a simple get well soon card, the words prewritten in a bold font. But beneath it written in pen, _H.L._ Lane crumpled the note in her fist, her pale eyes blazing.

.^.

Sweet Pea didn't know how to be around her, how to fix this or make it better, he didn't know how to pull himself together enough to be there for her. And she made no effort to be there for him. Most of the time he wondered if she even knew he was there. So he stayed out later, drank more because it was the only way to get rid of the pain, volunteered to look for the Ghoulies because it gave him time and space away from her, sometimes he didn't come home for days.

He wasn't sure if she knew he was there but he figured out real quick she knew when he wasn't. Standing in the doorway he looked at the few boxes lined against the wall feeling his heart fall out of his chest. He looked up when Lane came out of the bedroom wearing track pants and a loose tank top he could see the sports bra through.

"Good you finally came back, get your shit," Lane said walking into the kitchen to grab a water bottle.

His mouth hung partially open at her callous tone and her empty face. "What the hell is this?"

She turned to him then seeing his wide pained eyes, and she found the part of her that would've felt bad had been burned out of her. Along with her crippling fear of him leaving, because she was pretty used to that at this point. "Is this denial or actual confusion, because I thought it was obvious?" she asked instead, seeing his brows draw together as he continued gaping at her with an infuriating level of non-understanding.

"I'm not leaving."

Lane scoffed shaking her head. "Considering I packed that five days ago I'm gonna say you already have." With the bottle tucked under her arm she grabbed her keys and made for the door, and she sighed irritably when his hand shot out grabbing her.

He looked down at her seeing only his reflection in her eyes. "Look I'm sorry, I should've been here," he said feeling panic rising in him at the thought of losing her too. "It wasn't fair. I just," he ran a hand through his hair trying to find the words, "I just needed a little space."

It was clear from the way her mouth split around a very unamused smile that he'd said the wrong thing. "So I'm stuck here dealing with the constant headaches and the continuous buildup of fluid in my brain along with the tits producing milk for a baby that died in my arms, while you," she raised a hand toward him and he could feel the accusation in it, "get to walk away and take a break. That's what we were doing. Let me tell you what's gonna happen now." She took a step toward him with such malice in her face he stepped back.  
"I'm gonna go to the gym, and you're gonna take your stuff and get all the space you need. If either it or you is here when I get back it's going in the dumpster. And I've never been good at tetris so I really don't think I could make you fit." She looked up at him with unfeeling, or rather she refused any feeling she had because she was constantly on the verge of breaking down. But he didn't say anything, he just continued gaping at her and she shook her head. Grabbing the door she said over her shoulder, "leave the key on the table." And she left him there in that cold empty shell of a house that used to be filled with such hope, the same way he'd left her.

…

Lane was wrapping her hands when Archie found her at the gym. He'd noticed her earlier in the week laying into a punching bag, she hit hard but she swung wild and she had poor form. He'd spent almost two hours with her teaching her how to box.

"How are you?" he asked stopping next to her.

She looked up from where she sat on the bench with a brow cocked. "I'll answer that when you do."

A wry smile curled on half his mouth. "Fair enough," he agreed. They were both off to terrible starts to their summers, Veronica was the one who told him what happened when he'd been released on bail. "It's a good distraction."

"Give your hands something to do with all that pent up aggression," she said making him smile as he nodded. She caught the boxing gloves he tossed at her pulling them on, and he stood back letting her stand in front of the bag.

He waited as she got in position with her hands up and her feet apart. "Left hook," he told her. And he watched her bounce on her feet before she swiveled at the hip using her entire body to pack as much power as she could behind it, and her glove hit the bag like a crack of thunder.

…

There was a bike parked in the driveway when she got home a couple hours later. She'd been riding on Sweet Pea's bike for seven months and she knew it wasn't his. Turning the unlocked handle she stepped into the house and looked at where Fangs sat on her couch. "You're not moving in," she told him closing the door behind her.

His eyes stayed on the television, knowing at the first hard look he'd cave because she still scared him. Especially now, he didn't recognize her these days. "Too late," he told her, his duffelbag already unpacked. "And I didn't ask."

With a heavy sigh she slumped on the couch beside him and snatched the beer out of his hand before taking a swig. She'd planned to give it back but her hand tightened around it refusing to let go.

"If you try that crap again," he said knowing how hard giving alcohol up was for her the first time. She turned to him with a brow raised as though asking what he'd do, so he told her, "I'll tell on you to FP. He'll come kick your ass."

She might've rolled her eyes but a very small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, and she handed him the beer. It all seemed like too much and she was still and there was time for her mind to think, to remember what she'd lost. And if she let herself think about it she'd never pull herself back together, so she shoved it all down so eventually it'd rot inside her and it wouldn't hurt so much. She sighed again and let her head fall to his shoulder, feeling him press a quick kiss to the top of it.

…

He wasn't sure what woke him at first. Blinking up at the dark ceiling Fangs laid there a moment trying to figure out why he was awake, and then he heard it. This small broken whimper trapped inside a mouth that couldn't open. He turned on the light looking at where Lane lay beside him, he was met with her pleading eyes as tears slipped down her cheeks. And she kept making that sound, like she was trying to cry and she just couldn't get it out.

"Lane?" He cupped her face seeing her eyes follow him as he moved over her. "Can you talk, can you hear me? Wh-what do I do?" He was panicking now because she wasn't moving and she wasn't answering him except for the whimpering. "I'm, I'm gonna call an ambulance okay, I'm right here. You're gonna be fine."

He had no idea if that was true. Grabbing his phone he dialed 911 and waited as it rang holding her hand. "Hi, um, my my friend can't move and and she's awake but she can't move and she keeps making this noise like she's crying. And I don't, um, I think she needs to go to the hospital. She was in an accident and she had brain damage,"

"Sir I need you to calm down," the operator said trying to quiet his scared stuttering. "Tell me again what's happening, is your friend breathing?"

Fangs looked at Lane seeing her eyes were still pleading, and she was making that noise more now, desperate. "Yeah she's breathing, she's looking at me but she can't move. I don't know if she's okay or not."

"Okay, you said she sustained brain injury in an accident?"

"Yeah that was a few weeks ago," he answered, his hand still holding Lane's. He was shaking so bad he couldn't feel her hand twitching.

"Okay, I'm sending an ambulance to your location."

"Fangs."

He turned at Lane's soft voice with wide eyes. "Lane? Oh my god, are you okay?"

She reached for him uncoordinated. "Give me the phone," she told him. But he was still too scared and he wasn't listening. "Put the phone to my ear," she snapped. This time he listened. "I don't need an ambulance, I'm fine," she told the operator. "It's sleep paralysis, my doctor knows about it. Really, I'm fine." Assuring the woman there was no emergency she pushed his arm away and pulled herself up so she was sitting, her body awkward and stiff as she fully woke up.

Fangs cupped her face in his hands wiping away the tears that'd spilled. "You're okay?" he asked needing to hear it again.

Lane nodded pulling him off her but kept her hold on him because it made her feel real. "It's been happening. Apparently it's not uncommon after a traumatic brain injury," she told him in a voice that cracked, feeling the way he trembled. "I went in when it first happened, they did a brain scan and a sleep study. Sleep study confirmed sleep paralysis and the imaging showed more fluid buildup so they put in a shunt. So yes," she squeezed his hand, "I'm okay."

Her face was pale and clammy, and she had her legs curled so he wrapped his arms around them resting his chin on her knees. "Sweet Pea never said anything," he said, feeling the panic slowly slipping away.

She gave a short derisive laugh and shook her head. "He wasn't here to know," she told him, trying and failing not to sound as bitter as she felt.

Sweet Pea had come back so confused and sad and angry, acting like this was sudden, as if she'd had no cause. And Fangs knew they were both hurting, that they hurt so much they were hurting each other. He didn't try defending either of them, nothing about what happened to them was fair and neither of them were right or wrong. So what he said was, "well I'm awake now," earning a very small smile from Lane. "Wanna see if anything's on?"

It's how they found themselves on the couch with Lane laying over his chest and his arm wrapped tight around her shoulders, just breathing.

.^.

The chains rattled with every vicious blow, the crack of gloves echoing in the gym as he made his way to her. While she stood back a moment catching her breath Minetta silently moved around the bag and stood holding it in place. He met her suspicious eye watching her size him up before she decided his use and resumed pummeling the punching bag. She didn't stop til she was panting with sweat dripping on her livid face. Girl was something to watch, she hit hard and fast, and if not for the head injury she could've had potential.

He watched her wind down and as she pulled off her gloves he handed her the towel she'd brought and watched her clean herself off. With her hair pulled back it was easy to see the underside of her hair that'd been shaved, along with the jagged partially healed scar from where her head had hit the window.

He didn't try talking to her and she didn't bother with him. When she was done and she'd taken a long gulp of her water she threw her things back in her bag and left him without a word. And he let her go, because that's not what today was.

.^.

He found her same place same time the next day, and he again stood behind the punching bag holding it in place for her. And he waited as she wound down, but this time instead of letting her leave he asked, "how are you?"

"I'm not answering that," she told him simply, her gaze hard with unrelenting. "Why are you here?" she posed instead.

Watching her pull her gloves off he replied, "It's a small town, this is the only gym."

"That's not what I asked." She unwrapped her hand looking up at him, finding it strange to see him out of uniform. "Does he want you to keep tabs on me?"

Neither of them needed to say the name, they both knew their connections to Hiram Lodge. "The opposite actually," he answered with an honesty that had her stilling as she gave him her full attention. "I was told to keep my distance."

"Then why aren't you?" she asked without missing a beat.

Grabbing the towel off she'd set on her bag he pressed it gently to her brow drying the sweat beading on her skin. "I told you, my liking you would make things difficult."

An incomplete thought surfaced in her mind as he trailed the towel down her neck and across her chest, a plan she'd formulate later. "Is it the head injury or the dead baby?" she posed with a sharp self awareness that bordered concerning.

He'd almost forgotten how difficult she could be, she was worse now but loss did that to a person. "It's the stash of guns you've probably found by now," he said seeing her brows raise, and he almost smirked at finally being the one to take her by surprise. "I'd like to take you to the shooting range, make sure you know how to handle them safely." He could see in her eyes she wasn't buying it, he liked that about her.

"I'm sure your boss told you I know my way around a gun."

The corner of his mouth curled just slightly as he stared down at her. "That's not what I said," he told her, turning her own words back on her.

She looked up at him with a level of severity it should've had him backing down, most everyone did including Sweet Pea. But he didn't, and she couldn't tell whether she liked it or not. "Is the other option you tearing my house apart until you find them?" He didn't need to answer she already knew it was yes, and she sighed reluctantly accepting there was no way out of this. "I'm free Sunday," she told him, taking the towel from him and tossing it in her bag before leaving.

.^.

Come Sunday Lane stood wearing earplugs with murder painted on her face as she took shot after shot at a target that took on so many faces in her mind. Minetta had her point out every style of gun she'd found in Tall Boy's house and they'd gone through them all. He'd stood at her back tweaking her small body to bear the brunt of the recoil, and after a while he just watched her. It didn't seem like there was enough of her to house this much rage but it seeped from her endlessly.

"This isn't the way to my house," Lane stated blandly as he drove her back.

She had to be the single most difficult person he'd ever met, and she made zero effort to be anything else. "I wanted lunch," he said pulling into the lot for the diner.

She glared at Pops not liking the intention behind this. "You're not taking me to lunch."

"Then don't get anything," he promptly informed her. As he opened his door he turned to her and said, "but I'm hungry," and climbed out. He walked up the sidewalk hearing her slam her door behind him and he smirked faintly holding the door for her.

"Hi," Veronica said staring awkwardly between Sheriff Minetta who was unconcerned and Lane who looked very unhappy. "Just the two of you?" Sitting them at a booth she set the menus in front of them and left, her eyes straying often to Lane who didn't seem to be asking for help. She just looked angry. Giving them less than a minute she came back. "Is this together or separate?"

Lane answered "separate," the same time Minetta answered, "together." Her pale eyes were hard on his face as they did it again. Minetta turned to Veronica. "You can do them separate but I will be paying for her meal."

She glowered at him taking a deep steadying breath as she said in a level voice, "together." Then she turned to Veornica, who still wasn't sure what was happening. "I'll have a strawberry milkshake."

Veronica nodded writing that down. "Salad hold the chicken?" she asked, knowing Lane's usual by then.

He ordered coke and a burger, and as Veronica left his eyes returned to Lane seeing her straightening her silverware on the napkin. "Are you Jewish on your mother or father's side?"

Her eyes narrowed wondering if he was actually curious or if he knew and was just trying to make conversation. She couldn't read his face, and she really didn't like that. "My father was born in Israel," she said deciding on the truth.

"And your mother?"

She took a breath. "Mexico."

His brows rose as though impressed. "You're the first-born American in your family?"

"Yeah, my dad was I think two when they moved here," she said, not remembering the last time anyone asked. If anyone ever had. Before he could ask about her mother again Lane told him, "she was fourteen, and I don't know anything else about her."

And now they were both gone, and she was left alone in a country and a town that never really felt like hers, surrounded by people that never stopped leaving her. Even before the accident she would've built her walls high around her, he could understand that.

But before he could comment further Lane told him, "I'm going to the bathroom." Not waiting for a reply she stood and walked behind him, leaving him at the table alone to nod to himself at her attitude. His eyes glanced at Veronica heading in the same direction, and he turned to follow her expecting her to join Lane in the back but she went into the kitchen and he turned back around satisfied.

"What's going on?" Veronica asked Lane as they stood in the corner of the kitchen, wondering if she needed to get help. She didn't trust the Sheriff and she didn't like that Lane was alone with him, one of them wanted something otherwise it made no sense.

Lane shook her head. "I have a partial thought. Do you know anything about him?"

It was Veronica this time to shake her head. "I didn't even know he knew my father until he showed up here." She looked at Lane seeing her deep in thought, a wrinkle in her brow and her mouth pulled tight in a frown. "Do I sense a long game?" she asked, having inched her way closer to Lane throughout the summer.

"The start of one," was Lane's quiet answer. Squeezing Veronica's arm she walked back to their table and sat across from him again, not seeing the open friendly façade he wore a few months ago when they first met. The thought she'd had at the gym was now complete: Hiram was using Minetta to get close to Lane, to have someone with a gun that might finally be able to take her out. This was Hiram's key player, and Lane looked at Minetta's watchful eyes as she readied herself to claim him as her own. "Thank you for lunch, Sheriff," she told him, her tone still hard.

"Mike," he said seeing her brow twitch. "When I'm off duty."

She considered that as she took a drink and came back with, "you can call me Ms Vivian," seeing the way that made him smile.

She wouldn't give him an inch, he could appreciate that. "Yes ma'am," he said raising his glass to her before taking a sip.

"That works too," she said, feeling the faintest pull at the corner of her mouth as he chuckled.

They finished lunch talking briefly together, Lane giving only a little more, and he paid and they left. Pulling into her driveway he got out with her, seeing in the way her brows drew together she didn't like that. He came around to her side of the car where she waited and he stood over her forcing her to tilt her head back to see him. "I'll pick you up same time next week."

"I don't think so."

"I saw your face, that punching bag isn't enough," he told her. That rage was going to build inside her until it overflowed and no one would be safe, least of all her. "Now, you're a decent shot but you've got a lot to improve on and even more to learn." He watched her brows pull tighter displeased, and half his mouth curled. "You're not used to being anything less than perfect, are you?"

She didn't know if he was figuring her out as he went or if he was coming at her having been told everything, and it was getting under her skin that she couldn't figure out which one it was. The only way she'd found out, and the best way she figured to move forward, was getting closer to him. So she nodded and stepped toward her house. "I'll see you next week," she relented, crossing her arms around her middle as she continued moving away from him. And though it looked like it was making her sick she added, "Mike."

It was a start. "Lane," he said in return.

"You're not there yet," she was quick to tell him. And as he laughed lightly to himself he could've sworn he'd seen the faintest slip of a smile before she'd turned her back on him.

Fangs was by the door when she opened it, having gotten home not even half an hour before and he just about panicked at the sight of the sheriff's car til he saw Lane get out. "Don't ask," she told him as she made her way to the room to change, wanting to get rid the smell of burger that was trapped in her clothes.

"Lane," he said, the warning clear in his tone as he followed her.

With a new shirt half on she turned to him and explained, "you won't like the answer."

That was her reasoning to him for everything those days, and he left it there because he knew there were parts of her that scared him, that would make him hate her. And she needed him, no matter how hard she tried to pretend she didn't. But she made it so goddamn hard to love her sometimes.

.^.

He stood with his arms crossed leaning against the wall beside her watching her shoot Her aim was better, so was her stance, he barely had to move her. But she still had that same lethal edge to her cold eyes, and he saw her spine go rigid as she straightened.

She'd been having a lot of thoughts since the accident, some angry, some that broke her heart, and some that terrified her. A thought flitted across her broken mind and it had her hands tightening on the revolver as her eyes shifted to where Minetta stood beside her.

Before she could move his hand shot out grabbing her arm, keeping her from aiming that gun at him. His breathing grew short as he stared down at her with widened eyes seeing her mouth curl into the cruelest smirk, and it set something in him on fire.

They came out of the bathroom several minutes later a little more wrinkled and out of breath than when they'd gone in. The drive was quiet as he took her home, he didn't stop to get her lunch this time, his hands were wrapped tight around the steering wheel as he tried not to think of what he'd just done to her. With her. That was never part of the plan.

He pulled into her driveway and she sat a moment coming to terms with what she was about to do, and when she finally had she turned to him and told him very simply, "you can call me Lane."

Watching her climb out of his car and head inside he shook his head, because just like that any sense he'd come to was now out the window. This girl should've come with a warning.

She closed the door and leaned against it feeling the part of her she'd filled with him empty again until it was gaping, threatening to consume her. And she looked up at Fangs who only needed the one look at her to know what she'd done, she didn't know if the revulsion was his or her own. "Please don't leave me," she said in a soft voice. Pleading.

"Oh baby girl," he sighed, not knowing what he was supposed to do for her. "Come here," he said holding his arms out to her, doing the only he knew how. And she stepped against him letting him hold her, wishing it felt like enough.

.^.

The bell above the door to Pops rung and Sweet Pea looked up freezing at the sight of her. He looked over his shoulder at where Josie had just gone to the bathroom before turning back to Lane, seeing her walking to the counter to talk to Veronica. It wasn't hard to be angry for the way she'd ended things, the horrible things she'd said to him, but seeing her there after weeks without her he couldn't remember why.

For nothing other than to say he tried he forced himself to his feet and moved to the counter next to her, noticing the way she was arranging the silverware. "How are you?" was all he could think to ask.

And she was so tired of being asked that, that him of all people was asking it now, that she told him irritably, "I'm gonna let you figure that one out."

Something in him soured at hearing her tone, at her closed off face, at her completely shoving him out of her life like he'd meant nothing to her. "Look, Lane, I'm trying alright," he said very close to giving up on her.

She turned to him with a brow raised waiting for more, and she gave him a look when he didn't say anything else. "Do you want a high five?" she asked seeing his dark eyes flare. And she couldn't stop herself. "Am I supposed to thank you for taking time away from your date to talk to me for the first time in two months?"

"So this about Josie," he said hating the way Lane rolled her eyes. She was so hard to deal with when she was like this, he couldn't remember why he'd ever bothered with her.

Of course that was all he'd taken out of what she said, not her referencing him quitting his job and making every possible effort to completely avoid her. "Sure, lets say I'm jealous of your new girlfriend who's got her head so far up her privileged ass she's never gonna want you."

He scoffed leaning away from her, feeling himself harden toward her. "You really are a bitch."

"He says sounding surprised," Lane continued for him, a smile slashed on her face as she looked up at him. "And since I'm such a bitch I just wanna make it clear that this was just to buy time for your girlfriend to come back," she watched him look over his shoulder to see Josie. "So that when you're balls deep in her later she'll know who you're really thinking of." Beside her Veronica slid the drink tray towards her and set down the to go bag of food, and Lane watched Sweet Pea's eyes fall to it noticing there were two drinks.

His eyes flicked to hers, his mouth carving a cruel smirk. "I know Fangs isn't home tonight, so who are you gonna be thinking about?" he challenged, seeing something playful in her smile that made her almost look like her again.

Lane leaned closer so she could lower her voice, seeing his head tilt down and his chest swell at the nearness of her. "I'm gonna be thinking of the guy who's actually good enough to make me come first." She watched Sweet Pea reel as though she'd slapped him and it made her smile grow. "Well that was mean," she said chuckling lightly. "Yeah," she shook her head at herself before her face turned to stone and she told him with utter seriousness, "have a good rest of your date." And then she left, and he seethed as he watched her go.

Reaching her car the stone cracked and a sad girl was all that was left of her. Not so much that he was seeing someone else, she wasn't sure if she really cared. It was because at no point had she wanted to be saying anything that came out of her mouth, and no matter how hard she tried to make it stop it just kept coming. And it scared her.

…

Lane was curled up on the couch, not watching the TV she'd turned on for background noise to make the house feel less empty, when Fangs found her the next day. Sweet Pea told him what she'd said, the way she'd said it, and Lane had never really been a nice person but she wasn't mean. And Sweet Pea messed up but he didn't deserve that. So Fangs was angry with her, was planning on telling her to get her shit together or he was gonna leave because he couldn't keep doing this.

But she didn't look up at him, she continued sitting with half her face pressed to the couch staring at nothing looking like the saddest girl in the entire world and his resolved crumbled as he sat beside her. She leaned into him so that her forehead was against his arm and he sighed, knowing what being alone did to her those days.

And because it was him and they'd seen each other at their worst, she trusted him to be here for her. To tell him what she was having a really hard time telling herself, because lately she trusted him more than she trusted herself. "I think something's wrong with me," she said on a shaky breath. Her first cry for help.

"No," was his immediate response. "You're doing your best, Lane, you're gonna have bad days. And seeing him yesterday, that was a lot. I mean – we have to give you credit for just breathing." Sometimes he forgot how much happened to her in less than a year, in her whole life, she'd been so good at handling it that it had started to feel like less than what it was. And now that she was struggling he was left trying to make sense of everything she'd lost, and it all suddenly felt like so much. "You're allowed to be broken."

He felt her nod but he couldn't see her face, he didn't see the way it fell in despair. He didn't get it, the hope she felt that someone might realize she needed the help she didn't know how to ask for wilted inside her - and it just felt so much like dying. It took just about everything left of her to pull herself back together, to shove these feelings down so they couldn't touch her, to be the kind of strong her daughter needed her to be to get this shit done.

* * *

 _As you can probably tell Lane's in the beginning stages of formulating a plan, more will be revealed as I go; so it's fine if you don't quite know what she's doing yet. Also, her mental state is very fragile - I mean it always was but it's gotten worse - and this will be addressed in upcoming chapters along with what's actually going on with her. Like I said, this is a very broken Lane. But at the same time, she's never been more dangerous._

 _Either way I hope you guys enjoyed, and I can't wait to continue her story._


	32. Chapter 32

He lay sprawled on his back with the covers draped haphazardly over his hips, if not for his slow even breaths he could've been mistaken for dead. A cruel thoughtless hand covered his mouth and nose and as his body understood it was suffocating he jerked up suddenly forced awake. And he looked at where Lane stood wearing the clothes she'd shown up last night in, minus the shirt she couldn't find.

"How much did I drink?" Minetta asked reaching a hand to his aching head, not remembering drinking more than a glass of wine with her.

"Wrong question."

He squinted up at her placid face finding the daylight unbearable and shook his head. "What'd you put in my drink?" he asked instead. At times like these, when she made it clear she was only using him, he wondered what the hell he was doing to himself.

It curled an unkind smile on half her mouth and she held out the glass of water she'd gotten for him, and she met his still drugged eye as he looked up at her. And then there was this, little glimpses he saw of who she might've been, who she still could be.

"I'll see you later," she told him, and left him sitting in a bed that now smelled like her. She was the worst kind of drug, and she wouldn't let him go. Eventually he was gonna stop fighting it.

…

She walked through the Serpent's camp like she owned it, and Sweet Pea felt the sight of her hit him square in the chest making him lose his breath. He couldn't remember a time seeing her made him feel this hot when they'd been together. Her hair was now cut above her shoulder and it sharpened her already dangerous expression, and she wore boots over her high waisted jeans as well as a black croptop that just barely covered her chest and he swore he could see through it.

"Where's your shirt?" Fangs demanded as she made her way to them. He knew it was lingerie and that it was in fact see-through, he'd been talking to her when she put it on yesterday.

She shrugged. "Couldn't find it," she answered simply and turned to Jughead, noticing Sweet Pea behind him trying not to look at her. "I know where the Ghoulies are hiding."

Jughead's brows rose. "Your source tell you that or did you screw it out of him?" he goaded, still waiting for the day she finally told them who it was. But he couldn't complain too much, so far any information they had was what Lane had collected.

Fangs snorted knowing the Sheriff didn't tell her anything. "Or option three, she drugged him and searched his apartment."

"Ding ding," Lane said in an almost playful tone, and it had Sweet Pea grinding his teeth.

Shaking his head at her Jughead nodded coming to a decision. "I was sending Fangs out anyway, take him and scope it out. Do not," he raised a finger at her accusingly, "engage. Recon only." She was their wild card those days, one he couldn't trust to follow orders and yet she continued to get things done.

She raised her hands as though in surrender as she stepped back, seeing his hard look before she turned her back to them and walked to her car. As she went Fangs looked up at Sweet Pea to see him watching her, his brows drawn tight together, and Fangs sighed thinking it was just hard for him to be near her. "She's getting worse," Sweet Pea said finding something so off about her. He couldn't put a name to it but sometimes he looked at her and she just wasn't her.

"She's doing her best," Fangs said, a faint edge to his voice. He was overly defensive when it came to Lane, when people talked about her and how awful she was lately, especially to Sweet Pea and he didn't mean to be.

Sweet Pea shook his head because that wasn't what he meant, but he didn't push Fangs when it came to her. So instead he held out a hand for his friend to shake it, and after a moment Fangs released a breath and grinned before joining him.

She waited impatiently for Fangs to climb in beside her and she didn't even give him time to pull his seatbelt on before she drove off. Fangs held the map directing her to the area she'd pointed to, and she parked quite a ways from the location she'd gotten from Minetta's place. They trekked the rest of the way on foot, and Fangs was about to consider it a dead end, no sign of life let alone the Ghoulies, when Lane threw her arm out stopping him.

Several weeks ago Lane asked Minetta, as an officer she'd said, if he knew how to recognize foot traffic in an otherwise undisturbed area. He knew what she was after, and his knowledge of that had nothing to do with his being an officer, but he'd taken her to a trail and walked just outside of it and showed her what to look for. So that day with Fangs Lane had been looking for the signs, the leaves that'd been crushed under foot, partial shoeprints in the dirt, an area of ground that was flatter than the rest because it was walked on more.

What Fangs saw was the building and he cursed quietly at seeing Hot Dog chained up outside of it. So while he crouched down scanning the surrounding area to relay to Jughead, Lane followed the trail. There were two trees, one several yards from the building and the other was further back to the left, they both had a lot of foot traffic surrounding them – scouting posts. She marked one of them with the lipstick she had in her pocket. Gathering what they could they retreated to Lane's car and she headed to Cheryl's house.

Fangs ran ahead while Lane parked to tell Jughead what was going on, and by the time Jughead turned to call Betty Lane was already beside her.

The seven stood around a table in another section of the house away from the party Cheryl and Toni were throwing. Lane stood beside Fangs facing Jughead, with Sweet Pea to his right who was having a hard time remembering why he shouldn't want her when she looked so goddamn beautiful in that jacket. It was easier for him to let it go when Fangs explained why they were gathered.

"Are you absolutely sure this was Hot Dog?" Jughead asked, needing to be sure if they were going to risk going head to head with the Ghoulies.

"A hundred percent, man," Fangs answered without a doubt. "They must've snatched him on riot night. He looked skinny, I don't think the Ghoulies are feeding him enough."

"We're lucky those animals aren't slow roasting him on a grill," Sweet Pea seethed.

Jughead looked to Lane wanting her confirmation but she shrugged. "It was a shaggy grey and white dog," she told him.

But it was Sweet Pea who darkly accused through his teeth, "how do you not know what our dog looks like?"

Her eyes were cold as a knife as she turned to him, and there was a moment of stunned quiet around the table at seeing the level of hostility between them. "She's allergic," Cheryl said coming to Lane's defense.

There was a small memory of Lane getting sick when Jughead was around her the week he had Hot Dog, how quick she was to start sneezing when anyone who'd even pet his head came near her. "What do we do, Jughead?" Toni asked steering the conversation away from whatever happened between them and back towards what needed to be taken care of now.

They formed a plan to get Hot Dog at nightfall, Betty was reluctant given that Jughead almost died the last time the Ghoulies got their hands on him but she was with him every step of the way.

When they were done Lane stepped away with the intention to go home and get a few things, one of which Fangs reminded her was a shirt, but she didn't make it further than the poolside before she turned around to see Cheryl following her.

"Why didn't you call?" Cheryl asked, feeling as though she'd abandoned Lane even though Lane had been the one encouraging her to go. She'd never thought Sweet Pea was good enough for her, or at least big enough to handle her, but she still would've been here because she could see Lane was hurting.

But Lane shrugged refusing to admit it even to herself. "One of us deserved to have a good summer, and I may not be great but at least I look it."

"Don't you ever," Cheryl said with a smile on her red painted lips as she made a show of checking Lane out. The baby weight was gone and her stomach was only getting more defined as she continued going to the gym. "So what do you know?" she asked, knowing Lane better than anyone, and she could see Lane knew something.

God she'd missed this girl. "There are two posts behind the house, I'm pretty sure this is an ambush." Which was partly what Lane was going home for, to prepare for it.

Cheryl's smile grew, seeing after almost a year her Lane was back. Someone from school came up to the girls to say hello, an innocent greeting, but there was a gleam in their eyes as they both raised a hand and shoved him into the pool without ever once looking away from each other. "I'll take the front you take the back?" Cheryl posed, a brow raised suggestively. Lane response was to smirk as she raised a hand with only her pinky extended, and Cheryl grinned linking hers with Lane's.

…

That night the seven Serpents quietly observed the dark seemingly empty building, hearing Hot Dog whine every so often catching their scent. Lane stood between Fangs and where Sweet Pea sat behind the wheel of the trunk, she'd picked that spot specifically and Fangs didn't know why. Sweet Pea did, or at least he knew how to read her. "Where are they?" he asked, leaning close to her so the words left his mouth directly into her ear.

"Tree to the right with the red x on it," she said, waiting as he scanned the area out of the corner of his eye before he gave a quiet affirmative. Less than ten minutes before she'd caught the slight shaking of leaves when there wasn't wind, someone had climbed up there. Leaning back more on the truck Lane curled her leg and planted her foot on the step rail feeling his hand trail along her thigh and over her knee until he found the small gun she'd tucked in her boot.

He frowned and asked, "why do I get the girl gun?"

It curled a wry smile on her mouth, feeling Fangs looking at her wondering what they were whispering about. "It's funny," she told him before she grew serious, hearing Jughead tell Sweet Pea to keep lookout as he prepared to get Hot Dog. "You take him, I'll take the one behind you."

Sweet Pea tensed at hearing that, resisting the instinct to turn around, and instead his hand tightened around her calf. "What's the signal?" he asked, breathing in too deep and catching the familiar smell of her shampoo. He'd forgotten that smell.

"Arrow," Lane answered briefly as they watched Jughead move past the fence to where Hot Dog was chained up.

It wasn't the time nor the place to be anything but quietly civil towards one another, the nicest they'd been to each other since the accident. And they both noticed they could only be like this when Lane needed him, it had always been this way between them.

They all tensed at the sudden glare of flood lights, and it left them by the truck with Jughead alone several yards away as Penny and the Ghoulies came around the side of the building. "Not yet," Lane breathed, feeling his hand clench around her leg out of reflex.

She only caught maybe every other word from how far Jughead and Penny stood, really only hearing the words that came from raised voices. But it was clear she wasn't letting Jughead go again, at least not free. "I hear ponytail's a Serpent now too, your Northside Queen. Maybe we'll go after her next," Penny goaded looking at where the blonde stood by the truck, itching to get a rise from Jughead.

Reaching the decision together Cheryl and Lane turned sharing a look and they nodded in agreement. "Get ready," Lane said softly, and Sweet Pea's hand slid into her boot grabbing the gun.

"Fine, you can have the jacket as long as you and the Ghoulies stay out of the Northside," Jughead said giving in to this petty demand, which was really more a show of power. And right now the Serpents were surrounded and outnumbered.

But Malachai stepped forward. "Boy you don't get to make demands."

He was thrown back a step with Cheryl's arrow lodged in his shoulder, and Lane and Sweet Pea moved together with an efficient synchronicity that came with intimacy. He pulled the gun from her boot the same time she pulled the one tucked in the waistband of her jeans, and she turned into him as though for an embrace with his hand on her back as he raised his other arm aiming at the guy in the tree. And Lane stood with an arm around his shoulders with her cheek pressed against his catching the Ghoulie that'd been sneaking up behind them looking to grab whoever was easiest.

"Move," Lane told him through her teeth. He sneered before moving around the side of the truck, she followed him with a finger held loosely on the trigger as she slowly released Sweet Pea as she kept her aim.

"You too," Sweet Pea said, seeing after a moment a girl jump down from the tree.

Behind them Penny had a hand raised holding the Ghoulies back from attacking, considering Jughead's threat. "If you or the Ghoulies take one more step Cheryl will release that arrow. And Cheryl doesn't miss."

Penny glanced at the girl standing in the truck aiming an arrow between her eyes, contemplating how possible it'd be to jump in front of Jughead before she was able to take the shot. Any second now her guy was bound to grab one of them and hold them with a knife to their throat, an eye for eye. Except her gaze fell on the two who'd been set up on the perimeter being forced back by gunpoint. Lodge always said the damn Vivian girl was gonna be trouble. And now Penny was out of options. "Congratulations," she told Jughead, "you just made the Northside fair game."

Jughead grabbed the chain he'd cut and led Hot Dog back to the truck where the others were waiting, Cheryl still stood in the bed aiming her arrow not willing to give the Ghoulies a single chance. But as Sweet Pea drove them out of sight she sat with an arm around Toni and turned to Lane. "I've got my best girl and my main bitch, it was a good night," she said with a smile, catching the faint curl of Lane's mouth before she straightened it.

Sweet Pea dropped them off accordingly: Cheryl and Toni, then Jughead Betty and Hot Dog. "Where'd you get a gun?" Jughead asked as he and Betty climbed out.

"Where Tall Boy told me I could find them," was Lane's blunt, unelaborative, reply.

And Jughead shook his head not sure if that was a good thing. "We'll talk about this."

"But," Betty said now holding the chain attached to Hot Dog's collar, "we appreciate what you did. Toni was the closest he would've grabbed her, and we would've lost," she said looking from Lane to Jughead, who reluctantly nodded because it had in fact been necessary. But he sighed because between her and Cheryl he now had two loose cannons, and they were both emotionally unstable on a good day.

Fangs sat quietly beside her, still amazed she and Sweet Pea had been able to get along long enough to work as unit to get the job done. As Sweet Pea pulled into the driveway he hoped out of the truck and headed for the door, hearing Lane behind him.

But Sweet Pea had grabbed her arm pulling her back, and they stood inches apart with what felt like an entire world between them. He'd noticed the beretta she used, had been arrested enough times to know which gun the sheriff's office used, and a thought he wasn't ready for slipped out of his mind as he looked down at her beautiful face. For those few short minutes working with her against the Ghoulies the part of him that felt like it was missing had been filled in. Because it was her that was missing. And it reminded him of a time they'd been so in synch they only needed to look at the other to know their next move. It'd felt so goddamn right.

He felt her hands on his hips and the resolve he'd built against her crumbled as he ducked his head to kiss her. And he felt her still before a breath left her and she leaned into him, her mouth moving against his. She felt like coming home, after being gone a really long time – the kind of relief that swelled behind his eyes. But cool metal pressed under his jaw pushing him back and he stared down at her wide green eyes seeing for the briefest moment how much she wanted this before she found a way to mask it. Then he was left with her holding the gun she'd gotten out of his jacket hearing her take the safety off. "You love me," he said without a single doubt.

And she did, so very much. It had her finger tightening on the trigger and he flinched at the click, and a moment later when he realized she'd actually pulled it his face darkened. "I don't have time to love you," she told him, her mouth and her hands doing things she wasn't sure she wanted to. His brow rose and an awful smirk spread on his mouth, and she aimed the gun at the grass and pulled the trigger again. This time he jumped at the loud crack hearing it ringing in his ears. "Go back to your simple easy cheerleader girlfriend. Because you and I both know, when push comes to shove, you've never been strong enough for me."

She left him there, breathless with his heart racing, and moved past a wide eyed Fangs to go inside. But standing in a house that had only ever been theirs, it felt less like home and more like a prison keeping her in a memory she was trying to forget. There was an empty pit in her and sometimes, most of the time, it ached in a way she thought she'd fall in and never get up.

Snatching the keys off the table she charged back outside not hearing Fangs yelling her name as he stood by a still shaken Sweet Pea, and they were forced to jump out of the way of her car as she threw it into reverse.

Every fiber of her being was filled with just this empty nothing and she couldn't breathe, she couldn't think. She needed something, anything, to remind her she was real. That there were feelings other than this awful hurting.

He found her on his doorstep wearing what she'd left him in that morning with death in her watery eyes and her breathing ragged. It used to be she only got like this sometimes, on the bad days, only now it seemed everyday was a bad day. Taking a deep steadying breath Minetta opened the door wider letting her inside.

.^.

She was on the couch when Fangs found her, he'd gone back to camp with Sweet Pea not thinking he could deal with her if she came back home. The TV wasn't on this time instead it reeked of cleaning supplies, she sat with her elbows on her knees staring at her hands like they didn't belong to her, in utter empty silence.

Nothing she did filled the emptiness inside her, not alcohol or sex or hatred, nothing. That's all she was now, there was no feeling, no taste, no color, she was just nothing. And she looked up at Fangs who stood in the doorway like he was ready to run and she told him again, "I think something's wrong with me."

It took him longer this time before he was able to shake his head. "No," he said sitting beside her, holding her small hand. "I should've known last night would be too much, you weren't ready. And you definitely weren't ready for him to kiss you." He convinced himself it was just the stress of it all, that it'd gotten to her and then Sweet Pea kissed her and she hadn't been able to handle it. "You know you have to apologize," he told her, because she'd crossed every line last night.

"Okay," she softly agreed, though it was mostly to make him stop. Because it still wasn't what she meant. And that day she was filled with all of the hatred she normally took out on a punching bag or a target at the shooting range but the only thing she had to hate in that moment was herself. "Cheryl invited me over. I'm um," she pursed her mouth as though she might say more before she nodded and jumped off the couch heading to the room to change. Leaving Fangs on the couch to hang his head.

…

They were lounging on the couch with their feet propped on the coffee table playing a game when Lane threw the door open and headed to her room, without looking to either boy on the couch. "I thought you were staying at Cheryl's tonight," Fangs said glancing at where Sweet Pea was sitting up to leave. Neither one wanting a repeat of last night.

"Change of plans."

They both turned to look at Jughead standing in the entryway in the same black button down he'd worn to Archie's verdict. "What's going on?" Sweet Pea asked, wondering why he was here with Lane instead of calling a meeting.

"Don't know yet," he answered, not ready share when all he had was a map and a bad feeling.

She came out of the bedroom still wearing the swim top that tied around her neck and ended just below her chest, but she'd put on the highwaisted jeans and boots from yesterday. And she shoved the coffee table back and lifted a corner of the rug revealing the hatch to the crawlspace not even Sweet Pea had known about. He watched her closely not seeing any of the hostility from last night, no tension in her toned arms, no sign she even cared he was there. This was the Lane he knew, grumpy and quietly abrasive. Last night, that wasn't Lane.

Pulling out a duffle bag Lane unzipped it and grabbed the beretta with the flashlight that clipped under the muzzle. She checked the magazine to see it was loaded before tucking it in the waistband behind her back. "That's police issued," Jughead said moving to stand beside her. Seeing at least ten different kind of gun in the bag.

"Yeah I stole it from Minetta," Lane answered sounding bored as she zipped the bag and dropped it back in the crawlspace.

Jughead shook his head with a short unamused laugh. "You know, I was really hoping he wasn't gonna end up being your source," he said, always having that nagging thought when he remembered how the two had interacted when Fangs was arrested.

On the couch Sweet Pea glowered realizing it too, he'd realized last night but he hadn't wanted to. He knew she'd been seeing someone but now having a name to the thought, that someone else was touching her, made her smile, it made it real. And it _burned._

Throwing the rug back over it Lane stood and grabbed her jacket pulling it on. "He serves his purpose," she said with a shrug, seeing Jughead's sardonic smirk.

"You sure this is a good idea?"

Lane looked to where Fangs sat watching her, a faint level of worry behind his sweet face. She was ruining him. "I'm fine now," she told him, and she meant it. Cheryl had taken one look at her and had thrown her skinny pale arms around her and hadn't let go until Lane was laughing as she tried to push her away. And when she was finally free she turned and found herself smothered against Toni.

"Should I be concerned?" Fangs asked, this time looking at Jughead. He didn't like that Jughead called Lane because she was the one with a gun, or that he didn't know what was going on, or that this was really the first time Lane was going off without him. He'd gotten too protective of her.

Jughead shook his head, because she was really just a precaution, but Lane turned cruel pale eyes on Fangs' worried face. "Yeah, if one of us doesn't call in a few hours it means we're dead." She watched his eyes bulge and flare with immediate refusal and felt Jughead's elbow dig into her side, and a grin just as cruel as her eyes spread onto her lips. "We'll be fine," she assured him and turned smacking Jughead's arm as she headed outside.

Rolling his eyes Jughead followed her, shutting the door after him. As Fangs shook his head at Lane, at her familiar teasing, Sweet Pea turned to him frowning. "I ask how she's doing every time I see you,"

"Yeah, it's a little annoying," Fangs said only half joking.

"How long have you been lying?"

He needed a deep breath to calm himself before turning to Sweet Pea, having asked him months ago to stop bringing her up. "You knew she wasn't okay when you left," Fangs told him, trying so hard not to take sides and so far they were good about not making him. And Sweet Pea opened his mouth to say what he always did, that she was the one to kick him out but Fangs shook his head cutting him off. "Look, she went too far last night, she knows that. But you're the one who fell for a girl who doesn't have anyone else, and then you left her. And if that wasn't bad enough you're now trying to blame her for it, and you've gotta stop. Because this one's all on you."

Sweet Pea slumped back feeling thoroughly chastised, and he couldn't even be mad about it because Fangs was right. And then he sighed because he kept doing this, and it wasn't fair. "Sorry we keep dragging you in the middle of this," he said, as he'd been saying.

"You know," Fangs said rubbing his stinging eyes, finding himself so tired and frustrated, "she really sucks sometimes."

It startled a laugh out of Sweet Pea, because he thought Fangs was gonna say something about him. "She kinda does," Sweet Pea admitted, remembering how hard she could be to get along with when she didn't want it. And then other thoughts came and his grin wilted a little. "But then she'll give you that smile or that soft look, and you know you're the most important person in her entire world. And it's all worth it." Because as hard as she pushed, she loved just as fiercely. God he missed her.

Fangs nodded now understanding that, of how much responsibility that was, and it was heavy. "Yeah," he agreed softly. Taking a breath he held a hand out to Sweet Pea who clapped it firmly, and they held each other a moment before letting go and turning back to their game.

…

Taking a back road that'd get them as close to the area Dilton marked in Fox Forest as they could get, Lane pulled off to the side and turned off the car. They hiked the rest of the way on foot, and as the sun set they stuck close together in the thick eerie dark the flashlight Jughead held just couldn't seem to break through.

Scratched in red ink on the map was a large tree, as they walked surrounded by trees it seemed impossible to find. And yet they stepped through a particularly dense growth into a clearing, and in the center was a tree as round as it was old. Jughead's pace quickened as he hurried to see what Dilton had been trying to tell him, but Lane moved slower behind him. Cautious, as she looked around the dark shadowed area with the sudden realization all sign of life had fallen silent the moment they stepped into this place.

Coming around the wide trunk Lane stood at Jughead's back looking up at where the flashlight pointed to see that hanging from the limbs the same skull figure that'd been drawn on the map. And with quickening breaths she looked at what had been set up beneath it. "Jug," she breathed, as though she might wake something if she was too loud.

He lowered his flashlight illuminating the immobile boy on his knees with his face pressed to the ground, as though left in a state of worship. Jughead moved forward calling for Dilton, noting the symbols carved on his back, seeing the remains of what looked to be a ritual.

As soon as she'd seen the bodies Lane had reached for her gun and she held it as Minetta had taught her, her index finger held straight along the barrel close to the trigger but not on it and her left hand under the base holding it steady. She cased the surrounding area not finding any sign of someone watching them or having made a hasty exit, no sign anyone besides her and Jughead had even stepped foot in this clearing to explain what had been set up behind her. A sense of something that felt like dread overwhelmed her, wrapped around her tight enough she couldn't breathe. There was something so wrong about this.

Jughead cried out behind her and she ran back to him seeing Ben was barely hanging on. "Call an ambulance," he told her, his voice shaking as Ben struggled to breathe around the foam dripping from his mouth.

Pulling her phone from her pocket Lane knelt beside him. "No signal," she told him hearing him curse. "I'm gonna head back to the road, make the call and lead them here." He barely acknowledged her as he turned Ben on his side so he could breathe better.

With her phone in hand she jogged back the way they came and stopped as soon as she saw she had a signal calling Minetta.

"You stood me up," he said in place of hello, eating the take out he'd gotten when she didn't show up.

"Yeah, about that," Lane said now walking back to where she'd parked her car. She filled him in on what happened starting with the most pressing issue, and she waited as he called his office to send deputies and an ambulance to her location, before she filled him in on the rest as he too drove to where she was.

With both boys strapped to gurneys Jughead stepped out of the woods following the paramedics, seeing Lane standing against her car beside Minetta who had a hand on her shoulder. Something soured in him at seeing that, at knowing what that hand on her meant. "Sheriff," he greeted coolly.

Minetta nodded, his hand remaining on Lane's shoulder. "I was just telling Ms Vivian that I'd like you both to come to the station to give statements. My deputies will comb the area for any evidence of foul play."

Before Jughead could refuse, wanting to stay with Dilton and Ben to get more answers, Lane turned to him and snapped, "get in the car."

He gave her a look but he did as told, and as he shut the door Minetta ducked his head to tell Lane quietly, "leave the guns."

There was a tug at the corners of her mouth as she slid around him. "You know me better than that."

She drove behind him following him to the station, they didn't make it far before Jughead asked, "what was he telling you before I got there?" He didn't like the obvious familiarity between them.

"He was asking if I searched the area like he taught me."

"Like he taught you?" Jughead reiterated, not liking those connotations. She didn't elaborate or try to defend herself. "Did he teach you how to shoot too? Is he the one who taught you how to box?"

Her eyes were on the road but she smirked shaking her head. "That was boy wonder," she answered hearing Jughead scoff. "Remember how mad you were when I first befriended Veronica?" she posed, leading him to the answer.

He sighed not knowing what that had to do with her sleeping with the literal enemy. "Yeah but you were using her to get to-" Hiram. "Holy shit," he muttered as he realized what she was doing.

"Helping the Serpents is an added bonus," she said making him smile. Then she added, "so's the sex, it's pretty wanky."

He rolled his eyes at her playful tone. "Really?" he asked as though in disbelief. The man had an emotional range that could fit through the eye of a needle.

"Considering you popped the cherry of the only girl you've been with, I'm gonna ignore you." Beside her she heard Jughead laugh lightly, felt him nudge her. And for a moment it almost felt normal, or at least she did.

Pulling up to the station she stored both guns in the glovebox, rolled her eyes when Jughead asked where the second one came from, and followed Minetta inside. "Wait in my office," he told Lane before escorting Jughead to another room.

Lane had told him everything she knew over the phone: Jughead had called telling her how Dilton had been acting that he'd left a map and she'd gone with him. Jughead didn't have much more to offer, but he took his statement in full and when he was done the two walked back to his office where Lane was sitting at his desk going through his computer. She didn't bother with surprise or trying to cover that she was snooping, instead she looked up with a brow raised to see Jughead's amused expression and Minetta's hard one.

Without warning she tossed her keys at Jughead. "Go home, I'll get my car tomorrow."

Before Jughead could refuse Minetta asked him, "do you need me to walk you out?" Jughead took his cue and left.

Making sure he was gone Minetta closed the door to his office and moved to stand over where Lane still sat at his desk, seeing she'd jimmied his drawers open. There was no reason for her to have stayed, other than what she'd been found near. He reached a hand to brush her soft cheek, noticing that she no longer flinched. "Go to sleep, I'll take you home early so you can get to school." She'd done such a number on him that the weirdness of saying that didn't fully reach him. And he met her eye when she looked up from his computer. "Did you really think I'd leave you in here if there was anything to find?" he posed with the faintest smile.

"A girl can dream," she sighed climbing to her feet.

His eyes followed her as she walked around him, heading for the couch against the wall. "A girl needs to get to dreaming," he said grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair. When she laid down he draped it over her and turned off the overhead lights, using only the small desk lamp as he resigned himself to filling out a report.

Lane fell asleep to the faint clicking of his keyboard and she dreamed of dead boys at an alter to a bloody skull-faced god with horns. As it happened every night her mind woke before her body, and she was trapped awake immobile. But this night standing over the couch was a large figure with a bloody horned skull and jutting from its back were jagged branches framed like wings. And behind her mouth that wouldn't open, Lane screamed.


	33. Chapter 33

_Just as a heads up, since I know most people don't like Minetta and especially don't like Lane with him - there's a lot of him this chapter. And for those readers I wanted to make sure you guys know, it has nothing to do with their relationship. This has everything to do with what Lane needs, and this is the very beginning to Lane starting the process of getting better. Also, by the end of this chapter you will understand why Lane's letting him get this close (because remember, she's got a plan and she's playing his ass). Alright, I'll shut up now. Please enjoy._

* * *

His head lurched forward falling from the hand he'd been resting his cheek in and he shot awake finding himself still at his desk. Even from across the room he could hear her muffled crying and in a sleepy daze he moved around his desk towards the couch, not noticing his door was open.

"Hey," he said quietly as he knelt beside her, seeing the tears flowing freely from the corners of her eyes. "Lane, look at me, Lane," he turned her face toward him, forcing her eyes off the shadows she could see moving in the doorway, hearing the panicked breaths leaving her nose. "Hey," he said again when her eyes finally found his, she looked so scared. And he held her small stiff hand in his. "Squeeze my hand, okay, squeeze my hand and breathe," he felt the faintest twitch in her fingers. "You know no one's here, it's me and you, you know that. I feel you trying, you can squeeze harder than that."

He spoke so calmly, his face unusually softened as he crouched beside her. And the quick heavy breaths that left her nose grew deeper as his calm steadied her. Until finally her jaw unhinged and she sucked a deep breath in through her mouth loosely curling her hand around his.

"There it is," he said running a hand over her hair, waiting as she got more control of her body and started to stir. "Come here," he told her, helping her to sit up as he wound his arms tight around her, feeling her hands clenched around his shirt as her chest shuddered beneath his with every breath.

Eventually the tears stopped, they always did, and she told him, "it was right there." That thing had been so close to her she could smell the dirt.

"I know," was his gentle assurance as he held her. She had these episodes often, but she didn't hallucinate every time, and he had a feeling whatever happened tonight is what she'd been seeing. It took her some time to pull herself back together, to calm her racing heart, and even though she was holding him just as desperately he felt it leave her. "How many this week?"

"Every night."

He sighed and nodded giving a quiet, "okay." It was getting worse, and she was the kind of bullheaded that didn't complain thinking eventually her strength would win out. He knew this because he was the same way, but it was different watching it happen to someone else. "I'm gonna call the neurologist and get you scheduled this afternoon," he told her, planning to use every card and pull every string he had to.

Feeling like she was back in the world Lane sat up pulling far enough to get out of his arms but not too far that she couldn't reach him. "He's not gonna be available," she said, an excuse for why they shouldn't bother.

"Perks of being the Sheriff," Minetta told her. And with that one sentence he not only told her he wouldn't let her excuse this, but he also made her smile. Pulling out his phone he set an alarm to wake them in two hours so he could drop her off at home, and he lifted her so that he could get under her and he laid back with her over his chest. And Lane settled against him trying to pretend like he was enough, to pretend that she didn't want someone else.

.^.

She caught his eye walking down the hall, her thin legs carrying her, her narrow hips swaying. Josie caught him staring, this normally brutish boy who looked at her with the softest expression, and she smirked as she passed him.

Sweet Pea leaned against the wall watching her, liking that she didn't give in to him or that she never really fell for him. It was fun, and he liked her. But as she continued on his stare fell to where Lane turned into her locker shoving her things in, frowning. Something he didn't have a name for rose in him, as it did every time he saw Lane in the same vicinity as Josie, and it had him crossing the hall to lean against the locker beside hers. "Look, I know what you're probably thinking but I don't want this to hurt you."

"I'm gonna go ahead and say we're not thinking the same thing," Lane snapped in a hard tone as she looked up at him with even harder eyes. Seeing his derisive cutting smirk had something curdling inside her. "But since you can't stop making everything about you and your pussycat who's no longer in heat, let's see what I can come up with so you finally understand that I don't actually care." She paused a moment as though to give him a chance to object, as though she were generous. "Did you really think I'd be jealous of a girl who's gonna drop you faster than she dropped her friends?" Her stare was sharp as he scoffed a laugh, a smirk slashed across his mouth not buying it. "Or how about: you were never a big enough man to handle my problems, so it makes sense you'd go for a girl whose entire world crumbled because her mom got a boyfriend."

"You're a jealous bitch." He hated that word, he hated men who called women that, and yet that was the only thing he could get to come out of his mouth when talking to Lane.

That finally did it, or at least it knocked him down a peg and Lane was willing to take any win. "Yeah, I am," she agreed knowing what she was, "but I'm not your bitch. Although it's funny you continue to call me that when the whole reason you came up to me was the desperate hope I'd be hurt, because that would mean I still had feelings for you."

He shook his head not wanting to listen to that, because she was right. That's what he felt every time he saw her in relation to Josie, he wanted it to hurt her. He wanted her to care. And it hurt him so much to see she didn't. "I don't recognize you anymore," he told her.

"That's because you forgot what I looked like before I was in love with you," she said seeing the faint way he flinched as she swung her locker closed. Deciding she'd done enough damage in this particular moment she clapped his arm as though they were friends before leaving him to lick his wounds.

…

Principal Weatherbee caught her between first and second period, Lane turned at her name and he raised a hand beckoning her to follow. His face stern as ever, not offering her to refuse.

"I'm assuming this is about the now vacant position of student body president," she said cutting to the chase as she stood in his office, Archie wasn't here and she'd been the last one with the title. "To answer your question, no, I am not interested in taking Archie's place. However," she took a deep steadying breath, "I am willing to fill in until you find someone else."

He knew what happened to her, by then the whole town did, she'd come over summer to do the testing she'd missed and to be honest he didn't think she looked much better. "Without fail, you rise to every occasion," he said, the reason why he continued to tolerate her attitude.

"If that is not just the story of my life," she said more to herself. It was a tiring kind of life, and Lane wasn't sure how much more she could take. "If that's all?" she waited for his nod before she left his office and made her way to class.

…

It was Cheryl who found her this time and she walked in step with Lane to her locker, with Toni not far behind. "As acting student body president I'm sure you know of my petition," Cheryl said hoping their friendship would win her more favors than whatever was developing between her and Veronica.

"I'm not doing this today, we can talk about it tomorrow."

Her once smiling mouth fell to an unhappy frown as she crossed her arms, not appreciating Lane's apathy. "As your dearest friend I thought you'd at least give me,"

"That is as nice as I'm going to ask," Lane exclaimed in an unusually raised voice.

The two girls watched Lane walk away and Toni muttered, "that was uncalled for."

But Cheryl, whose gaping mouth snapped shut, charged after her in a fury. "Lane Noa Vivian you had better be hooking a right into that bathroom or so help me I will drag you by your gorgeously short hair." And she would have, and had done so in the past, but this time Lane turned right and Cheryl followed.  
"Scatter," she demanded of the few who were in the bathroom. Then she turned to where Lane stood with a hand on either side of the sink as she steadied herself. "I know what today is for. You should still be pregnant, your due date was next Friday."

"Saturday," Lane corrected in a nonexistent voice Cheryl didn't hear.

"You are allowed to be sad, we all are, but that does not give you the right to be mean."

Lane's eyes found her reflection in the mirror and she looked at the empty carcass of a girl she used to be. "I'm not sad." It was so hard accepting this was the girl she was now stuck with, and she didn't want her. Turning to Cheryl with a dull lifeless expression Lane told her, "I don't feel anything." Her second cry for help. But she released a breath and unhooked her hands from the edges of the sink and walked out of the bathroom. Before she left she stopped, holding the door, and said, "we'll talk about the presidency tomorrow."

As she left Toni shook her head, having always known how difficult Lane was but this was something else. "We have to do something about her, she is being awful to people – Sweet Pea especially," Toni told her, thinking Cheryl might be the only one who had a chance at getting through to her. But Cheryl turned, to defend her as she always did, and Toni continued, "I know he left her, and I won't excuse him for that, but she needs to realize he's grieving too."

Except Cheryl wasn't trying to defend Lane, to blame Sweet Pea as she'd been doing. Lane had asked for help, and Cheryl heard it. "I need to tell you something she said to me when they had her sedated, I don't think she remembers."

Toni paused at that, her brows drawing together in concern, and she nodded for Cheryl to continue.

…

Lane sat in the exam room with Minetta in the chair next to her, and in the stool across from them sat Dr Patel with his laptop set on the counter with her file open. He didn't say much, there wasn't much he could since his patient wasn't saying much herself. "We can get you scheduled with the sleep specialist again, they can go over treatment plans and coping mechanisms for when you do have the paralysis episodes."

Sighing heavily Minetta looked to Lane who sat in the chair with her eyes on the floor, refusing to help herself. "Look, she's getting worse. She can barely sleep as it is without the episodes, which are now happening nightly. Her moods are unpredictable on a good day and violent on a bad one, the cleaning and arranging is out of hand. She won't eat until she's got her plate arranged exactly how she needs it and usually by that time I'm already done and her food's cold." He took what felt like his first breath since starting and he fixed the doctor with a piercing stare, demanding more. "She's suffering, and she shouldn't have to."

That was more information than Dr Patel had been able to get out of her in the four months she'd been his patient. Her eyes were still on the floor but her breathing had changed, had grown short. "Get out," she said suddenly, and the fact that she said it seemed to surprise her. She turned to Minetta and without looking at him she told him, "just wait in the waiting room."

He wondered if she was only now realizing he knew almost every weakness she had, that she was now refusing to let him know anymore. Or if maybe, just maybe, she was finally going to talk to her doctor. Either way he squeezed her leg before exiting the room.

It was quiet several moments after he'd gone, Dr Patel wondering if she was going to deny everything the Sheriff had said, before she finally spoke again. "Is this gonna get better as this," she motioned to the side of her head, "continues healing? Or is this just my life now? Because I can't um," her voice broke and she pursed her mouth to keep her chin from quivering. And when that stopped she looked up at her doctor, who saw her eyes were flooded, and told him, "I'm so tired."

Dr Patel looked at her moments more watching her stony face crumble as she again cried for help. And this time it was answered. "There is a stigma with what I'm about to tell you, and you seem like a very strong willed young woman so I'd like you to hear me out before reacting." That was an understatement, the last patient he had that was this stubborn had been a ninety year old man. He had to remind himself that she wasn't even eighteen yet. "The brain has a very complex chemical system that allows us to function. With injuries such as yours it disrupts that system throwing things off balance. Normally as the brain heals it corrects itself. But with some cases, which I believe includes yours, the brain can't. And we start to see signs of chemical depression. It can present itself as uncontrollable mood swings, violent outbursts, worsened obsessive compulsive tendencies, problems sleeping."  
With each one he watched her crumble further until the first tear fell, and with it the dam broke. The Sheriff was right, she had been suffering. It was the first time he actually felt like he had enough information to help her. "I had you meet with the sleep specialist after your first sleep paralysis episode, if you want to see them we can get you scheduled." He didn't think she would, she probably realized she'd gotten all the help she could from them. "But I'd like to prescribe a mild sedative not only to help you sleep but to hopefully keep you asleep so that you don't have the paralysis episodes." He waited hearing her sniff before she nodded, accepting that. "I'd also like to prescribe Valium to be taken as needed with the more violent outbursts, or extreme stress like anxiety," which is what he thought might be triggering the worst of her mood swings. Again he waited for her to nod, it took longer this time but she eventually accepted it. "And lastly, I'd like to get you started on an SSRI that's gonna help your brain hold onto the serotonin it makes as well as pick up the slack a little. It can be overwhelming to the body all at once so we'll titrate you up to the higher dosage, which is where I think you need to be."

She took the tissue he offered her and wiped her eyes, that by then had dried, and listened as he told her how long he'd like her to continue this before they considered tapering, and then the timeframe when she should call if she didn't notice improvement. It was a plan, and she'd always worked best when she had a plan.

"One last thing," he said, seeing a faint edge develop behind her eyes that he at this point was familiar with. "I strongly recommend seeing a psychiatrist," her face had been so open he noticed her close off. "There's a specific one I have in mind, she's about two hours away, but she's done a lot of research in treating depression following traumatic brain injury." He could tell Lane still wasn't warming to it. "It's entirely up to you, I think she would be a great resource if we need it. If you want I can send a referral, or if you wanted to try our plan and have her as backup if you don't notice improvement."

It was a lot all at once and Lane had been so relieved that someone understood, that it might get better. But she was stubborn and she refused weakness like a child refused vegetables. And yet, something in Lane had her asking, "is there a way she can review my records and agree this is the best approach, or if she'd recommend anything different?"

From the way she'd been looking at him Dr Patel honestly thought she'd refuse. "We can definitely do that," he told her. "Here's the form," he grabbed it out of the labeled folder that stayed in the exam rooms and filled out the location and provider they'd send it to, "we just need you to mark yes for all of these and sign it. So, I'm gonna give you a minute to review this and a nurse will be in to get you scheduled with me for a follow up. Do you want me to get your friend?" he asked as he opened the door. She nodded, her eyes now on the paperwork, and he stepped into the hallway seeing the Sheriff was only a few feet away leaning against the wall.

Minetta walked back in the room and sat next to her, reading from the top of the form it was a release of records. "What'd he say?" he asked, giving her the option to let him in or freeze him out.

"He's prescribing a few medications," she said feeling him reading over her shoulder as she reviewed the twelve different boxes of things they wanted her to either approve or deny them sending. "And he's gonna consult a psychiatrist that specializes in mental care following brain injury."

He pointed to three of the indicated types of records and told her, "say no to those, they don't apply." Sitting back he looked at her as she turned to him, and he waited watching her eyes soften in a strange way he hadn't seen before. "What?" he asked, never able to tell what she was thinking.

"You're good to me," she said in a very matter of fact way, and this time it was him that softened. Then she turned back to the paperwork and marked no where he'd told her to.

…

Fangs met her at the door when she got home, as he always did when he saw the Sheriff's car pulling into what was now his driveway. It was also his way of watching to see if the Sheriff left, because that meant Lane was staying.

"I'm not apologizing to Sweet Pea," she told him before he could say anything, thinking that's what he wanted this.

And it wasn't not on his agenda of things to discuss, but he'd first wanted to know why Minetta dropped her off that morning and why he picked her up after school. But she started the conversation and so Fangs told her, "you can't keep being this mean to him." He heard her huff as she walked away and he turned following her to the bathroom. "I'm not saying you have to be nice to him just…not this." She could be downright nasty to Sweet Pea, and it had to stop before they dragged everyone into it. "However, I don't approve of how you said it but you were right. And I think he might know it this time."  
She nodded knowing she needed to back off a little, whether she could was another matter. But she opened the cabinet behind the mirror and lined the three orange bottles she'd gotten from the pharmacy in a neat row. "What are those for?" he asked, realizing Minetta had taken her to the doctor. He didn't have to like the man to recognize he was taking care of her.

"It's an antidepressant, a benzodiazepine, and a sedative for the sleeping," she answered, wondering if what was in these little bottles was really going to help. She took a deep breath, "I am officially,"

"Getting help," Fangs finished for her.

And she released that breath in a loud whoosh. "I was gonna say crazy. But sure, that too."

Fangs nodded, too lost in his own head to say anything back. He was realizing that he'd been so focused on telling her and everyone else that she was going to be okay he forgot to actually make sure she was. And she'd made it so clear she wasn't. With nothing to say he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and bent to kiss her cheek, and she sighed turning into him realizing he was who she'd wanted last night.

.^.

Fangs convinced her to sit with him and Sweet Pea at lunch the next day, or rather he dragged her to the table Sweet Pea was sitting at and forced her into a chair. "We are going to be civil," he said with a finger raised that he moved between them. Fangs was tired of either being with her or being with Sweet Pea, he was over it and they were gonna get over it too.

"How about I just don't say anything," Lane offered pulling her lunch out of her bag and setting it neatly in front of her.

Fangs nodded and said, "that's probably for the best." He and Sweet Pea watched her set the container of leftovers in front of her and then position her drink and fruit on opposite sides of it and she scooted and fiddled with them until they were equally as far apart as the other, and then she unfolded and refolded her napkin before setting it below her drink so that there was as much space between them as there was between the napkin and the plate. And when it was exactly the way she liked it she looked up to find them both staring at her. "Are you sure it's good enough?" Fangs dared ask.

She fixed him with withering stare. "I'd say something really mean if I hadn't already agreed not to talk."

He grinned liking her mood today, she didn't have many good days anymore. And he watched her unscrew her drink and further egged her on by asking, "where are you gonna put that?" Her response was throwing it at his face, and beside himself even Sweet Pea cracked a small smile missing the way they messed with each other.

"Hey," was Jughead's quick greeting as he slid onto the seat beside Sweet Pea, his eyes set on Lane. "Betty and I are looking into what we found in the woods and Sheriff Minetta is becoming a bit of a road block. We could really use your help distracting him." The Sheriff had gone to check on Ben after Lane kicked him out of the exam room, and he'd found Betty and Jughead meddling in his investigation.

Considering that, and how helping Jughead could also serve her own agenda, she turned to Fangs as though to ask permission to speak. "You're a little shit, you know that?" Fangs told her seeing through her innocent expression to catch the smile in her eyes. "If I were a lesser person I'd mess this all up," he declared waving a hand towards her painstakingly neat setup.

And she reeled back with wide eyes looking like he'd just offended her entire line of ancestors. Across from them Jughead watched with deeply furrowed brows and he turned to Sweet Pea. "What's going on with them?"

"I have no idea," Sweet Pea said through his teeth. He wasn't smiling anymore.

"So Lane," Jughead said taking her attention off of Fangs, wanting to finish this conversation before anyone else sat down and overheard, "do you think you could help us out?" He swallowed when she turned to him realizing he had no idea the nature of this relationship, and she'd never looked approachable and even less so now. "Is it okay that I'm asking?"

Lane rolled her eyes. "Oh my god Jughead, I'll suck his dick for you. It's not a big deal."

"That is not," burst out of Jughead before he had time to really think, "I'm not asking you to do that."

"She's joking," Fangs interjected, giving Lane a look out of the corner of his eye. "Badly," he added.

She chuckled to herself feeling Fangs elbow her. "First of all, I'm hilarious," she told Fangs, then she turned to Jughead and continued, "and second, sex is the perfect distraction. Besides, "she opened the wrapped fork and set it on her napkin, "I've got a killer bod, along with a personality that literally makes him question whether I'm gonna kill him while his back's turned." She then set the plastic above the container precisely between her drink and the fruit.

"Jesus Lane," Fangs said trying not to laugh, because he knew it was probably true. He'd considered the possibility of her harming him briefly himself. But she'd gotten a full night's sleep for the first time in four months, and she'd woken in a really good mood. He watched her give a dramatic sigh and take a bite of her food, finally, making a show of not looking at him. "What, are you ignoring me?"

"With Jewish silence," she responded, the corners of her mouth curling slightly. It took Fangs a moment to get it and this time he did laugh. They were quieted by Sweet Pea knocking his tray off the table as he stormed out of the cafeteria, and Lane's smile fell – not really because of him, but because Fangs was trying so hard and she kept ruining it. "Maybe I should've listened to myself and not said anything," she said, taking the blame.

But Fangs wouldn't let her have it. "No baby girl," he told her firmly, "this one's not on you. He walked out, you don't have to apologize for finding someone else. Even though I do not approve of this in any way."

He meant more to her than he realized, than she'd let him realize. And it swelled in her then, filling her so full she could feel it behind her eyes. Pressing a soft kiss to his cheek she leaned against him with her head on his shoulder, the only way she knew how to thank him.

…

He was in the middle of reviewing the coroner's report when his door opened so he didn't look up immediately, but hearing it close had his eyes rising to see Lane turning the lock. "I don't have time for this, you know I've got an ongoing investigation," he told her, having already had this conversation of him not liking her dropping by his office in the middle of the day uninvited. People were going to notice, his boss included, and the town might run him out for his relations with a seventeen year old but Hiram would have him killed for it being _this_ seventeen year old.  
But she was clearly here for a reason as she came around his desk and sat on the edge of it in front of him. "Why are you here?" he asked sounding exasperated.

She grabbed his sticky notes and a pen. "Jughead asked me to distract you," she told him, blunt and honest as ever.

His brow rose and he scoffed an irritable laugh. "And what, I'm gonna lay you over my desk and forget about the investigation?"

Finishing what she was writing Lane dropped his pen back in the cup and looked at his cold face. "Oh you're gonna lay me out over this desk, and you will have to choke me to keep me quiet so your boys outside don't hear me. But first," she turned the note toward him and he saw two phone numbers, "you're gonna call our great detective's parents and let them take care of your problem for you." He took the note from her and she set her hands on the desk behind her to prop herself up as she placed a foot on either side of his chair so that he was sitting between her legs.

She did terrible things to him, and as he sat with his breaths growing short at the heavy way she looked at him full of intention it was really no wonder he'd never been able to resist. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked, his last attempt at finding a reason to stop this. Because she had to have an ulterior motive.

"Because you're good to me," she told him again. And because she didn't like lying almost as much as she hated a liar, there was a little truth to that. She watched the way he softened towards her like butter exposed to too much heat, and behind her gentle smile hid another truth – she let him think she was weak enough to need him and this was just her subtle way of admitting how much she liked him.

As he stood with his hands around the back of her knees pulling her closer, deciding he could call the parents when he was done with her, he was almost completely wrapped around her finger. And when she was done with him, there wasn't gonna be a single goddamn thing on this earth he wouldn't do for her.

* * *

 _In regards to what Cheryl told Toni, I'm not going to reveal that for a while. And I'm doing that because it's the entire reason why Lane is the way she currently is, why she's so angry, why she's mean, her emotional instability. Because I want that reason to hit you guys the way it's gonna hit Sweet Pea when he finally figures it out._

 _Also, here's a sneak peek to maybe get you guys excited: Lane looking hot as hell in a showy dress at the speakeasy, sitting with Hiram Lodge._


	34. Chapter 34

At the quiet, almost timid, knock on the door Fangs answered it seeing Sweet Pea standing on the front step with his hands in his pockets and his reddened eyes on the ground. "Hey," Fangs greeted surprised to find him there. And he looked over his shoulder hearing the bath running before turning back to Sweet Pea. "I was just about to call you."

"Yeah?" Sweet Pea asked sounding unsure. He thought Fangs would spend the day with Lane, lay on the couch holding her because she was likely to be as devastated as he felt. But no one was on the couch and Fangs looked worried. "I uh," he scuffed his boot on the concrete feeling so out of place here now, "I came to see her."

Somehow that was even more surprising, neither Sweet Pea nor Lane had wanted anything to do with the other. And normally Fangs would jump at the chance of getting his friends back, but not today. "Look she's," he ran a hand through his hair wishing he knew what to do, or that he didn't feel so useless, or that she'd stop being so awful to everyone because some days she made him wanna cry, "she's really rough. The doctor gave her these pills that were supposed to calm her down when she gets violent but they made it worse, and she's now in the bathtub with a bottle of tequila."

"Why were you gonna call me?" Sweet Pea asked knowing with how Lane had been his being there would make her worse.

Fangs shrugged helplessly, because it wasn't like there were instructions on how to deal with the due date of a baby that died over four months ago. "Because you're not scared of her, and I think at some point she's gonna need to be restrained."

This wasn't what today was supposed to be, this wasn't how they were supposed to be. And he shook his head too sad to deal with this, to deal with her when all he'd wanted was someone to understand how he felt and she was the only one. It'd been his problem from the start, instead of someone taking care of him or making sure he was alright he was the one having to take care of her. She was exhausting.

So he sighed kicking his boots off by the door and throwing his jacket on top of them before marching into the bathroom to see what damage had already been done, and what more he'd end up causing. He stilled in the doorway at the sight of her curled against one end of the tub with her shoulder under the faucet looking so small in the water, so broken with her clothes on and her hair wet as she tilted the bottle back. "When did you start drinking again?" he asked sitting beside the tub with his back against the wall looking at her dead-faced expression.

"The first night you didn't come home," she said in a remarkably level tone as she took another drink. And in the doorway Fangs sighed closing his eyes in defeat, already knowing what this was gonna turn into with them.

He shook his head scoffing a short bitter laugh, seeing as always with her it was his fault. And he blamed himself enough without her. "You're never gonna let that go," he muttered to himself. He'd felt so miserable at camp by himself he thought he'd find comfort here, or at least understanding, but instead it was still about her. As it always was. His eyes burned as he scoured her blank face, as she knocked back another gulp. "Why don't you just say it, I didn't give birth, I wasn't there when she died, so my pain is nothing to yours. That's clearly what your problem is with me."

"Yeah, you're right," she said with a carved edge in her voice that steadily grew sharper, "I'm such a bitch for almost dying. Or when I went back to the hospital and had another procedure to put a shunt in my brain which you," she pointed at him with the hand holding the half empty bottle, looking at his now confused face, "weren't here to ever know about. So yeah, how dare I want you to be there?" She took another drink, longer this time because it started a fire in her throat and her belly and it was the only thing warm about her. His face was closed off again, not liking the accusation heard clearly in her voice, or the way her pale eyes cut into his, or the fact that she was right.  
"You know why don't you just leave," she said suddenly sounding sloppy as her thoughts began to slosh around in her now aching head. "Do the only thing you're actually good at. And while you're at it go find someone else to stick your dick in, maybe they'll want you."

She raised the bottle to her lips needing to feel the way it burned, the only thing she could feel. But Sweet Pea snatched it out of her hand and hurled it at the wall where it exploded beside her head. He released a breath as his face slacked with shock, shattered glass falling inside the tub and sticking in her hair, seeing how close he'd come to hitting her.

With her mouth hung open she turned to him with blazing eyes. "Did you just waste my tequila?"

He blinked getting a hold of himself, remembering that he was the one who was angry. "Yeah," he answered as he climbed to his feet towering over where she sat in the bath. "And you know what, maybe I got tired of sticking around for a girl who couldn't get out of bed long enough to realize I lost our daughter too." Without waiting for a response he shoved past Fangs, who'd only just gotten over his own shock and now glowered at how close Sweet Pea had come to nailing her in the face, and headed for the door. He bent to grab his shoes and two hands landed flat on his back shoving him forward, he barely caught himself before his head hit the door. "What the hell?" he exclaimed whirling on where Lane stood dripping behind him.

"You don't get to say that to me," she cried sounding shrill. She stared up at him with wide eyes, her chest heaving, wearing a face that was twisted in both anger and pain. "You have no idea what I still have deal with while you got to walk away. I wake up every night and I'm back in that fucking car and I can't move, and there's just this weight on my chest and I feel her dying." She took a breath and he could hear the sob in it. "So you don't get to come into my house and tell me I'm not here enough for you."

The anger he'd let her stir in him slipped away as he watched her step back, her expression now closer to an angry panic as her chest quivered with the air she sucked in too fast. This was more emotion than he'd seen her show in the last four months, and yet there was still something so absent from her like she wasn't completely there. Like she hadn't come back all the way.

"Get out," she told him still backing away. "You're not coming back." Fangs moved beside her having never seen her this unhinged, this close to breaking. And he reached for her, wanting to hold her, to wrap her in his arms tight enough there wasn't any space for her to fall apart. But she jerked away from him like it burned shrieking, "don't touch me!"

She turned finding herself in the kitchen bringing her hands to her head that throbbed so hard she couldn't see straight. She couldn't breathe, and she couldn't see, and she couldn't feel. Her knees hit the floor bringing her back to herself and the only thing inside her was a scream, so she opened her mouth and let it out. She wailed, it started loud and harsh but it lessened and broke until there wasn't any air left. And she breathed trying to fill herself back up but there was nothing there.

Sweet Pea stood against the door with flooded eyes hearing it echo like a song that wouldn't get out of his head. She was in so much pain. All her anger and her hatred and the horrible things she said, it all came from whatever was causing her that.

Fangs knelt beside her slow to wrap his arms around her, waiting for her to shove him away. But she wilted and he gathered her against him holding her tight, his chin quivering. And behind him he heard the door slam.

.^.

"So the Valium didn't work," Lane stated blandly as she sat in an exam room across from Dr Patel. Fangs had called yesterday and was informed the doctor wasn't available for three weeks, so he called Sheriff Minetta who got her scheduled after school Monday.

And Dr Patel found himself once more seeing her in his allotted break time, and her irritability made his own exasperation that much harder to swallow. "I just want to make sure I'm understanding, you're saying the medication caused you to feel very upset?" He stated it like a question, because it was like pulling teeth with her sometimes.

"No I said I can't feel anything, and I was reacting to that."

He nodded as though understanding, but he was considering asking if they could reschedule with the Sheriff to accompany her because so far he was the only one that was explaining anything. "But such a reaction comes with emotion. It was a very emotional day for you, it's understandable to feel depressed or even angry."

"You're not listening," she sighed sitting back in her chair with her brows tightly knitted together. She was asking, begging, for help and no one was listening.

It'd been a long day and the little patience he had left was worn ragged, and it could be heard in the deep breath he took. "Ms Vivian it's very hard to treat nothing. Something has to be going on." He watched her turn her face away as she shook her head and he sighed losing the rest of his patience. "Explain it to me then."

With hard eyes she turned to him and leaned forward in her chair. "I. Feel. Nothing." she told him again, enunciating each word as though it were a sharp point she was trying to make stick. "There's no cold. There's no sad or happy. I can't even smell. There's just nothing. I am this empty pit of nothing. So I try to fill it. I use alcohol and nothing. I have sex and I'm coming and there's still nothing. There is nothing here," she told him, holding her hands to herself as though he could see how empty she was. "The only semblance of emotion I can get myself to be is angry so I'm really goddamn angry. Because if I'm not," she took a breath and it sounded like a gasp, "I don't think there's gonna be anything left." There it was, everything she had left. And without anything else to give she sat back and she waited.

As Dr Patel explained where to go from here her face shifted from desperate need to teeth-clenching rage. Until she finally threw herself onto her feet and cut him off. "So there's nothing further you can do, that's fine. I have her number, thank you for your time."

She stormed out of the exam room and stalked through the waiting room where Fangs jumped up and followed her out the door to her car. Then he waited as she sat in the passenger's seat with her head in her hands catching her breath. "He can't do anything else," Fangs said in quiet understanding.

Smoothing her hair out of her face she sat up straight and glared out of the window. "The only recommendation he has is for me to seek psychiatric rehabilitation."

"Well how long is that?" he asked, thinking if it was a couple weeks that might not be such a bad idea.

But Lane sighed heavily, weary. "Usually it's a month but in my case the psychiatrist recommends three to six months, at which point I'd be reevaluated to see if I can function in society."

Fangs turned away from her as he tried to process that. There was a lot going on with her but it wasn't that bad, she was doing everything she could to get through the day she just needed a little extra help. "Screw him then," Fangs declared slamming his hands on the steering wheel for extra measure. "You haven't even been taking the antidepressant for a week, he said it'd take at least a month before you'd know if it helps. So how does he know it won't?" He sat feeling angry for her, not wanting to admit whether she was that bad yet. The small weight of her head on his shoulder had him quieting, wishing he knew how to make this better for her. "We'll keep doing what we're doing, and we have the lady's number if we need it."

Lane nodded in agreement, but her eyes were filling and she tried to swallow it. She'd never be what he thought she was. He made her want to pretend to be a better person just to feel like she deserved even the worst part of him. "I love you," she told him so quiet he almost didn't hear it, but it took his breath away and he said it back without question. I love you, what she meant was don't leave me.

.^.

 _three weeks later_

She functioned as a shell based on a memory of who she used to be. It was the closest she could get to normal, and she did it well enough not many people noticed the slight signs something was off. She learned what was okay to say, how to excuse her moodiness like an anorexic making excuses for why they weren't eating – she ate before she came. She learned when she needed to walk away and hit something, or drink something, or find Minetta and screw him until she was okay enough. She was, in a way, a ghost. And her body was the haunting; making it move and say things, to let people know she was still there.

She played the part of student, was the head of student council under Cheryl who was now student body president, worked every day but Sunday at the shop, was a Serpent, a friend, and she played the part of herself which might've been the hardest.

Veronica recruited Lane to help with the speakeasy over the summer after Archie let slip he was going to the gym with her, that she was looking for ways to stay busy. Lane was nothing if not meticulously organized, and she was known to throw a hell of a get together. Veronica herself spent much of the summer with Archie, worrying over his trial, but she Lane and Reggie were often below Pops getting everything up and running. And Lane had a knack for getting Ronnie everything she wanted.

…

Anyone else would've called the job done. There was food and drinks, music, invitations, Reggie was helping with the final setup. And yet Lane continued to come by with what she called 'finishing touches'. Ever the perfectionist.

"Tell me one of those has the silverware," Lane said coming in behind Reggie who carried the last of the boxes he found out front. She'd come by today with a few more pretty glass candle holders to set on the tables.

Veronica happily took a box from Reggie, who was breathing heavy from the multiple trips he'd made to get them all. "Wait, what the hell?" Veronica asked lifting a pack of striped straws to show Reggie.

Lane watched him tear into his box finding more Jingle Jangle, and he looked to Veronica starting to panic. "So no silverware?" Lane's question went unnoticed as the two continued to panic, and then the phone rang. While she answered it Lane moved to Reggie's side trying to see inside the box for anything actually useful.

"Sheriff Minetta's upstairs?" Veronica exclaimed turning to Reggie and Lane. "We've been set up," she told him.

"I can't get caught with this stuff, my mom would kill me," Reggie said now full blown freaking out.

While he did that Lane moved around him and started grabbing the boxes he'd brought down, hearing Veronica tell him to get rid of it while she talked to Minetta. As she left Lane turned to see Reggie grab a box and drop the stack of straws he had in his hand and she rolled her eyes irritably.

"Lane," he hissed as he bent to scoop them up. "What the hell do we do?"

She turned to him expectantly. "Who are you talking to?" she demanded rhetorically, seeing the moment he realized she had a plan. "Is there another way out of here?"

…

Veronica was very much her father's daughter, Minetta had to give her that. And Hiram wouldn't be happy to learn she sniffed him out. Throwing the door to Pop's open his furious pace was halted at the sight of Lane sitting on the trunk of his car with her legs crossed in a way that made her skirt ride up, looking more regal than her small stature gave credit. Steeling himself he moved toward her. "Ms Vivian," he greeted, stoic and professional.

"Mike," she greeted in kind, personal and calculated.

His expression hardened, knowing her being here wasn't a coincidence. If he didn't know how many eyes Hiram had on this town he'd consider not mentioning Lane's involvement. Already Hiram questioned the nature of their relationship, of how often they'd been seen together, reminding Minetta not to get familiar. "It's Sheriff when I'm in uniform."

Even as he told her this he leaned against the car beside her with his hand against her thigh brushing her soft skin, knowing they were way past familiar. And she smiled so that only half her mouth curled, suggestive. "You said it was Mike when you were off duty," she reminded him, seeing the way he ground his teeth. "You know me, Mike. You knew when you saw me I'd know the only work you're doing right now is for Lodge, this was never gonna go on police record. A quiet takedown from within." And still, that little half smile.

He hated how smart she was sometimes, how much she knew and how easily she figured things out. It's a lot of what he liked about her too. "Then you also know I now have to relay the news."

"Am I going home or am I meeting you at yours?"

His eyes fell to her warm caramel-colored legs wanting to wrap his hand around her calf, to touch her, but he only let himself so close to her in public. Meeting her feline stare he inhaled sharply before stepping back, and she read him like a book sliding off the car and climbing into hers.

In less than an hour he stormed into his apartment throwing the door shut behind him, grabbing her off the couch and pushing her onto his bed, Hiram's foul mood at his failure having rubbed off on him. But when he was done he laid over her feeling her arms around his shoulders, a small hand rubbing the back of his neck, and he sighed almost content.

"The drugs are still at Pop's, aren't they," he said more than asked. He knew Lane, she'd distracted him long enough for Mantle to get the boxes back downstairs before they left.

"Well, not anymore."

Releasing a breath of a laugh he sat up feeling her fingers trail down his back as he got an arm under him, his hand over the top of her head. "You make my job infinitely harder," he told her. She made things more precarious for him too, it was only a matter of time before Hiram's suspicions of their relationship had him deciding to get rid of him.

She looked up at him without sympathy. "You should probably do something about that."

"Probably," he agreed, not knowing if there was anything left in him at that point that would. Climbing off the bed he got his arms around her picking her up off the bed, hearing her light laughter.

They settled on pizza for dinner, and she sat next to him on the couch wearing one of his short sleeved shirts with a slice in one hand and a beer in the other as they watched the news. It was normal in a way Lane no longer felt. And like she did everything, she ruined it. "I'm gonna approach Lodge at some point in the near future."

Minetta's hand tightened around his bottle as he took a steadying breath. "Why?" he asked through his teeth.

"You know I'm not gonna answer that."

Clenching his jaw he turned dark eyes on her empty face, knowing she was very aware the kind of hot water he'd be in. "Then why tell me ahead of time?"

"Because this way we can figure out how to work this in your favor," she told him simply, setting down both pizza and beer and wiping her hands before turning to address him.

She floored him sometimes, made him nervous others, a very small part of him didn't like her, but most of the time he was enamored. "Why?" he asked again, softer this time.

He was almost completely hers, with just a little more time she would be who he thought of first. "You're good to me." And he was, but she'd have to be capable of feeling in order to care.

.^.

She was sitting at her desk at the garage listening to hold music when her cell phone rang, and seeing who it was she hung up the company phone and answered hers. "Hey Ronnie."

"I have a proposition for you, Lanie," she said cutting to the chase in a way Lane appreciated. "Toni, Cheryl and I are going to the Whyte Wyrm looking for blackmail to use against my father, and I wanted to know if you were interested."

Lane considered that and how it would affect her standing with Hiram, knowing the Ghoulies had turned the basement into a drug lab which was likely what the girls were after. "You'll need a distraction to clear the bar so you can get to the basement."

"You know, Toni said the same thing," Veronica said with a smile. "I'll text you the rendezvous."

Ending the call Lane sat back wondering for the first time how far she was gonna go, and how many bridges she'd have to burn to get what she wanted. When it came to her daughter, there wasn't a thing Lane wouldn't do.

…

They heard the car pull up, that in and of itself wasn't terribly unusual. But the door being thrown open as a Ghoulie rushed in was and Penny growled as she stormed outside to see what was up. Her eyes gleamed at the sight of the dark haired Serpent who was in position to take the place Penny herself used to have within them. And she watched the girl climb out of the car without any apparent care for the danger she'd just found herself as Ghoulies began to surround her. "Didn't anyone warn you what we do to serpents around here?" Penny asked as she came closer.

Holding the woman's gaze Lane bent and grabbed the lever popping the trunk. Neither took their eyes off the other as they walked around to the back of her car, and they stood side by side breathing evenly before Penny glanced inside the trunk. "As the Thelma to your Louise I figured it was a waste," Lane said as Penny looked at the returned Jingle Jangle, wondering if it was all of it.

Penny's eyes narrowed as she sized the girl up, trying to gauge her intention. "What do you want for this?" she asked, knowing this girl was the one to look out for.

Lane shook her head not showing any more concern than when she'd first arrived. "Hiram made a play and he failed, no use in you suffering the loss." She watched Penny's face curl in disbelief and Lane shrugged telling simply, "this way I don't have to worry about getting rid of it."

That was something Penny could understand but she knew enough that wasn't all, the girl still wanted something. "Bringing our stuff back, your thoughtfulness in using a heated knife to peel the tattoo off my arm," Penny said in a hushed breath as she stepped closer to Lane, forcing her head back to continue meeting her eyes. "If one kept count you might say we'd now owe you twice."

"You left out driving my car off the road," Lane added, watching Penny closely for any change in face but she showed none. Lane didn't remember much about the accident, what she knew is what she'd gotten from FP – there were tire marks on the road not far from where her overturned car had been found. And so far there was one person behind everything in her life, and he'd sent her favorite flowers.

Too smart for anyone's good, that's what Hiram said about her and Penny was starting to see it. Throwing an arm up she signaled the others to fall back. "Slither away, before I change my mind."

Shutting the trunk Lane walked around and climbed behind the wheel before in the direction of the northside of town. When she'd gone out of sight Lane turned back and waited, picking up her three girls as they hurried out of the back of the Wyrm.

.^.

He sat at a booth alone surveying his daughter's work, appreciating her tasteful craft even if it was a play against him. "You're losing her." At the low sultry voice he turned to see Lane leaning against the seat behind him, and he followed her as she came around and sat across from him. "I'd be worried too, she's a lot to lose."

"It's always a pleasure Lane," he said, his face pulling into an aggrieved smile as he sounded anything but pleased.

"We're not on a first name basis, Mr Lodge."

It'd been close to five months since he'd spoken to her, he almost forgot how commanding a presence she was. "And what can I do for you, Ms Vivian?" he asked, realizing too late he'd played into her hand using her last name. He'd given her power, he saw the way that made her eyes gleam.

"When we last spoke, well, honestly spoke," she added, because the last time they met he said he wouldn't come after her again and now her daughter was dead, "you said we would return to our first arrangement. Of course you meant the one you made with Tall Boy to murder my father and I," she said seeing the faint twitch of his mouth as he took a drink. "But you said _our_ first arrangement, meaning you and I."

Now he understood and he nodded, seeing where this was going. "So it's back to vague threats against my daughter. Maybe it's my own fault for expecting more," he said, his voice a derisive coo.

But Lane blinked with a chillingly level of calm as she waited for him to finish. "As you just said those were threats, not an arrangement," she said in a voice that sounded disappointed, and it sharpened his face into something lethal. "The first time we agreed on anything was my working with you."

"I believe the arrangement was you working for me," he replied, enunciating the word 'for' trying to take back some of the power. But she'd snuck up on him, sat herself down, was controlling the conversation; for the time being she had all the power.  
But her response was to cock a brow, and from the level of severity weighing in her pale eyes he knew immediately this wasn't really about that time. This was current. "You mean to tell me you've been silently working with me all summer?" he asked not believing it. There was no way she'd been under his nose without him finding out.

Her mouth curled into a full smile, and all at once he knew this was a different game. "Where do you think your Sheriff's been getting his information?"

His face remained smooth as stone but his grip on the glass tightened. It was no wonder how effortlessly she toyed with him, she had everything over him and he'd been in the dark believing her broken. A Sheriff wasn't as easy to get rid of, she had to know he was now stuck with this arrangement for the time being. He'd have words with Minetta, discuss his use and what the future would hold for him. "What is it you're hoping to get from this?" he asked: money, power, revenge. All of it. He was still in the dark only this time it was a dark she'd created, and it had his blood boiling.

"You have to know any answer I give won't be honest," she told him, seeing his quick acceptance of that because really it'd been a long shot.

He nodded raising his drink to take another sip, only to find it plucked from his hand as she instead finished it off for him. If she was like this with Minetta he couldn't entirely blame him for being swayed by her. "How do you see this ending?" he asked instead.

She set his empty glass on the table and rested her chin delicately in hand as she looked through her lashes at him. "There's this old western I used to watch with my dad, it was a terrible movie really. But the hero and his villain are in the typical standoff and they turn their backs and walk their ten paces before pulling their guns, and you just _know_ the hero's gonna get his shot off first." There was mysticism in the way she spoke, as though she was envisioning her and Hiram in that way. "But they both drop dead. Which I always found poignant because really, what's a hero without his villain?"

"I assume you're the hero in this scenario," he said with a casual yet pinched smile.

Her brows drew together, having thought the masculine pronoun would've given it away. "No," she replied with a shake of her head, watching his face morph into one of question. "You play the role of the asshole hero no one really likes but everyone tolerates because he's charming and gets the job done. While I am your lesser, more awful, counterpart that stokes your hubris into your eventual undoing."

"How poetic," he said not yet sure what it meant that she envisioned him as the hero to her story. It left him with a sick feeling that twisted in his stomach as she continued to blink emotionlessly at him.

"Yeah I'm bored now, and there's no alcohol anywhere near this place," she stated plainly without care, seeing his mouth pull tight in a severe frown. "You asked what I wanted. I want this town and everyone in it to suffer, and you're gonna get me that." She climbed to her feet standing over him, forcing him to look up at her. "I'm sure we'll talk soon."

And with that she walked away heading for the stairs, having only come for him. She caught several pairs of eyes as she pushed her way through the crowd, but only one that mattered. "Oh dear God," Fangs breathed when he saw her.

Sweet Pea followed his gaping stare to Lane, who wore a showy gold dress that plunged down her chest showing the curve of her breasts and the back was all but nonexistent and it stayed on her shapely frame by two thin straps that threatened to slip at any misstep. But even though his chest tightened at the sight of her, his eyes moved beyond her to see the well dressed man she just left.

Without thought Sweet Pea followed her across the floor and to the stairs. "Is he after you again?"

She didn't turn at his voice, her pace didn't slow, she simply kept climbing. "No."

He was halted by that answer as he was left to realize she was the one now after him, and had been since she first woke. Looking up he saw she was at the top of the stairs and he lunged up them taking them two at a time and grabbed her arm forcing her to look at him, so he could demand to know why she hadn't told him.

"You finally figure it out?" she said in a low venomous tone as she looked up at him, hearing how short his breaths were which was always a sign he was thinking something too big. "I already told you, I don't have time to love you."

Pulling her arm from his grasp she turned away but he grabbed her again, this time she whirled on him catching him square in the chest and shoving him down the stairs. He barely caught himself on the banister before he went headfirst down them and he was left heaving as he glared after her.

She'd almost gotten to the front door before his hand clamped around her arm and he jerked her with him, all but dragging her to the back of the diner. He threw her into the bathroom locking the door behind them, and he turned feeling her palm crack against his cheek. He had her by the throat just tight enough for her to consider suffocating as he pushed her back against the wall, forcing her head back as he bent to kiss her. Her arms came around his shoulders and he let her go catching her as she jumped up on his hips with her legs wrapped around him.

They were bruised and sore and breathless by the time they were done, and he stood at the sink fixing the hair she fisted while she bent to grab her black panties off the tile floor. "You had to rip them, didn't you," she said sounding only slightly annoyed.

"I didn't hear you complain," he said smoothing the wrinkles from his shirt and fixing his tie, not wanting to admit he'd missed her more than he realized. Then he watched as she wet a paper towel and cleaned the smudged lipstick off her face, and he looked down at her with warm eyes as she cleaned the lipstick off of his. "What are you doing?" he asked, wanting to know her plan. He'd been her partner in this for so long, this was his place, he was always meant to be by her side.

Tossing the napkin in the trash she looked at herself in the mirror fixing her dress. "Well I'm about to go fuck the Sheriff," she told him with a careless callousness that was meant to wound. And she turned facing him, watching his hurt melt into fist clenching rage. "Here's the thing, babe, you ran around with a bony loveless sex kitten while I was the one getting shit done. So from here on out, when I want your opinion I'll give it to you. Until then wipe that look off your face and get the hell over it."

She turned stepping to the door and grabbed the handle but his hand hit the wood with a loud bang keeping her from opening it. So she turned looking up at his black eyes and calmly told him, "this goes one of two ways: I drag you through the mud of our short lived relationship where your only contribution was to be there and you couldn't even manage that, or you open the door and I don't hurt you further."

They stood looking at each other only inches apart but it felt like an entire ocean of everything they'd done wrong was between them. There was no going back. So he pulled the door open, and he let her walk away.

* * *

 _This will be the last chapter for a little bit, I'd like to see the next episode which I believe is in two weeks. For those interested in my alternate story that includes Angie, with Lane actually getting to be happy, I've got that up on my One Shots and it's chapter 9 and on. And I'm kind of excited because I'm gonna go in different(ish) directions, one Lane is going to play the game with the Serpents (I'm 90% sure it's this one because she's already out of her mind), while the other won't and may end up working more with Betty. But again, I'd like to watch more to see where the show's going.  
And in the meantime I'll probably just keep working on my au story where Lane is a witch. _


	35. Chapter 35

It was almost an hour past what they originally agreed upon when Lane finally strolled into Hiram's study, having been let in by a very confused Hermione. "You're late," he informed her in a clipped tone that did nothing to hide his obvious irritation with the girl.

Not bothering with pleasantries, they were well past that, Lane moved to the tray of drinks against the wall and poured herself one. "It couldn't be helped," was her simple reply, knowing the way it set his teeth on edge. With a drink in hand she sat at the other end of the table across from Hiram and set the glass in front of Minetta, who offered her his own drink.

There was so much familiarity between the two, the practiced intricacies in the way they moved together and around each other, something as simple as knowing the alcohol hadn't been poisoned because he drank it first. All of this had Hiram's hand tightening around his own glass, hard enough to break it. "And what does your fearless Serpent King have you doing at such a late hour?"

"Playing Gryphons and Gargoyles," she answered with a brisk honesty, seeing the way he stilled.

He tried for a pleasant smile, but as he'd been learning this was a very different Lane than the one he'd grown accustomed. This one had nothing to lose. "I know the Mayor visited every class at Riverdale High informing of a town wide ban on that game."

A very small smirk curled half her mouth. "You'd have to find us first."

"Choosing what information you give, that's becoming a concerning habit," he told her, this time his smile came easier. "Penny Peabody informed me of the shipment you returned to her. It's starting to feel less like you're playing both sides and more like you're working against me." Which he had no doubt she was, she made no attempt to hide that she wanted something – only what it was she wanted.

Finishing what was left in the glass she set it down and rested her chin in hand looking across the table at him. "Don't be greedy Mr H, it's not playing both sides if I only play yours. You asked what we were doing, I told you." She said all of this in a low languid manner, blinking slowly at him, her face the picture of innocence.

"And that's all the Serpents are doing?"

With a sigh she sat up reaching for the glass she'd given Minetta and downed half of it, her patience lost. "Yeah, Jughead jumped headfirst down that rabbit hole. And unless you include game play, which only makes sense to the game master, the Serpents aren't making any actual moves." She considered giving him his drink back but she couldn't get her hand to do anything but raise the glass to her mouth. "Although Betty isn't playing," she added, glancing at Hiram to see his brow raise in interest; not at what she said, but the fact that she was saying it. "With her and your daughter free of distraction I'm sure there's bound to be trouble."

"And I'm sure you'll keep me apprised," he said though it doubled as both a warning and an underlying threat. He knew in everything she gave him she saved a piece of information for herself, it's also how she worked. In the few jobs he'd given her, retrieving information, persuading a business partner not to withdraw their donation, threatening another to remain silent – she kept things from him in this as well.  
His eyes moved to the stoic man sitting at her right hand wondering how far he'd fallen for the girl. Minetta gave his own reports on Lane and he included certain things she wouldn't want Hiram knowing – such as how long she'd spoken with the partner she'd threatened on Hiram's behalf, possibly striking her own deal with them against Hiram. But he couldn't help but wonder if even then it was Lane puppeteering every piece of information he was given. "Well, if there's nothing further to report I suppose I'll release you both for the evening," he told his two guests, raising his glass to them with a pleasant smile. "Enjoy your date."

Minetta pulled her chair back as she stood, ever the silent gentleman, and Lane smiled curtly. "Thanks Mr H," she told him, knowing he hated her calling him that. The two left his study and headed through the lush main room towards the door, Minetta nodding his farewell to Hermione. "Hey Ronnie," Lane said to the girl who sat at the dining table reading as she ate dessert.

"Lanie," Veronica said with the same level of ease, as though unsurprised at seeing her there. Her eyes raked Lane's shapely form. "You look ravishing this evening," she said, her stare straying to the Sheriff to see him swallow heavily.

And Lane did, wearing a fitted dress that hugged her tight and makeup which she usually didn't bother with. She looked at Veronica with a telling grin before she walked out of the door Minetta held open for her. They made their way to the elevator without a word or look shared between them, and they waited with Minetta standing flush against her back with his head bent and his mouth by her ear.

"If you keep pushing him he will retaliate," he told her, thinking she was going too far too fast. She wasn't giving Hiram the chance to feel like he had her under his thumb, that he could control her in any way. Instead it was almost as if she wanted Hiram to know he'd never control her again.

She turned around to face him, her chest pressed against his so he could feel her breathing. And without raising her head she looked up through her lashes at him. "Noted. Where are you taking me?"

His hands stayed at his side instead of wrapping around her waist, she wasn't used to that. "There's a diner less than an hour west," he informed her without an ounce of emotion. There was something almost mechanical in the way he communicated, cold, like her.

"You asked me to wear a dress for a diner?"

"The dress is for me," he said hearing the ding of the elevator as the cart arrived on their floor. And he stepped forward against her forcing her back as they climbed on, the doors closing behind him. Without looking he reached behind him hitting the button for the lobby. "The waitress is for you."  
Her eyes brightened noticeably, and almost as quickly as they had they sharpened with insatiable need. "After dinner," he told her, seeing the way she smiled at how well he knew her.

He was no fun, which made playing him all the more so. "Tell you what, we make it there without you pulling over to screw me on the backseat and I'll buy dinner," she offered amicably.

His brow cocked as he followed her into the lobby, noting the heavy sway of her wide hips. "You have a lot of confidence in yourself."

"No, I just know you," she said waiting as he opened the door and stepped out into the night.

He wasn't the kind of man to be easily swayed by anything, least of all a woman's advances. It took a lot to catch his interest, even more to hold it. "Is that right?" he asked blandly rhetoric.

He walked at her back which meant he didn't see the way she smiled, knowing they weren't even gonna make it out of this parking lot. "You'll pay even if I lose." She could almost hear his footsteps stop as he paused, could feel the way he was looking at her in a brief unguarded moment. She knew him, her teasing usually did nothing, but her wit and her ability to play him like a fiddle while showing as little emotion as him always – always – got him.

She made it to his car and moved to the passenger's side waiting for him to unlock it, and as she'd known he came up behind her pushing her to the backdoor. His hands pulling up the skirt of her dress, the tips of his fingers ghosting the back of her thighs, his touch light enough she almost shivered. "You're gonna get in trouble if you poke holes in my seats with those heels," he warned, his warm breath curling against her ear.

His mouth was on her neck, his eyes closed. He couldn't see her empty face, or the way her eyes burned with the kind of danger that should've had him running. "Promise?"

.^.

She showed up as suddenly as she'd left the night before, only now she was wearing the same black dress she'd changed into yesterday. She'd spent most of the day wearing one of Minetta's shirts enjoying a very rare lazy day, she even convinced him to dance stiffly with her when she heard her favorite song. But then Jughead called and cold seeped into her once more as she got dressed and headed to the Serpent's camp.

Walking with her heels in hand she headed towards where Jughead stood addressing Toni, Cheryl, Fangs, and Sweet Pea as they sat around a fire. And in his hand he held a script.

"Maldita's back," Sweet Pea said when his saw her, the flames flickering in his dark eyes as he looked up at her when she stopped beside Jughead. "You left before the game ended, again." She was only one that did, and she seemed to do so every time they played – or at least every time she played with them because she wasn't always there.

"She's a Rogue, Sweet Pea," Jughead told him firmly, shutting him down as he always had to. "It's what they do. Or haven't you noticed that when she's not here, _especially_ when she's not here, that she's still always in the game? Playing behind the scenes."

That wasn't enough, or at least it wasn't enough for Sweet Pea to see her sometimes and to know where she was the rest of it; she should've been there, with them. With him. And he hated her for it. "What's your point, Jones?" he demanded, harsher than he should've.

"Trials," Jughead said, and Lane's brows drew together as she met his glazed stare. "You remember I traced the scar under your hair?" He flipped through his manuscript looking for the jagged lines he'd drawn on the back of one page, and he held it up for Lane to see. Her face slackened with awed shock before it hardened, and the four waited impatiently as Jughead turned holding it up for them to see the familiar symbol. "The Mark of the Rogue, the role you chose yourself," he said turning back to Lane. "That isn't coincidence. You're proof that we've been playing this game longer than we've realized. Everything you've been through, finding allies, finding your soldier to aid you in battle," he pointed to Sweet Pea, "and when he failed becoming the soldier yourself."

"What are you saying Jones, that they were all quests?" Fangs asked, seeing something in what he was saying that looked plausible.

"Trials," Jughead said again. "You're a Rogue for a reason, playing outside of the game. I see it now. You have the potential to earn enough merit to ascend on your own."

With an irritable huff Lane raised a hand as though to push him away. "Hold on," she said in a clipped tone, "did you call me here just to tell me this or are we actually doing something?" Because she didn't come all the way out here just to listen to him rave about how she can play the game herself, she already knew that.

"Lane, don't you see,"

"No," she cut him off, hearing in that his answer was yes, "what I see is I gave up a perfectly good chocolate cake and bubble bath for this. We can finish this conversation before we play tomorrow, goodbye." Without waiting for anyone's response, because she was now annoyed, she turned on her heel and marched back to her car. She didn't make it far before her phone started buzzing and she growled a sigh pulling it out.

Feeling him come up behind her she turned to see Jughead hovering over her with a crazed gleam in his eye. "A side quest?" he asked knowing from the way she glared he was right. "You left last night,"

"For a meeting," Lane finished for him.

"No," he said shaking his head, a smirk carving over his lips as he stepped closer, "to find a Trojan Horse."

The waitress. Lane was left reeling at how he could've known that, because she hadn't known about it until Minetta told her and that was after she'd left the game.

His hands came around her face cupping it as he drew her to him. "You won't be playing with us tomorrow," he told her. "You're needed elsewhere." He pressed a firm kiss to the crown of her head as though knighting her, and then he let her go leaving her to play her part.

…

Veronica was waiting around the back of the Pembrooke and she hurried into Lane's car when she pulled up, barely getting her door closed before Lane drove off on the chance Hiram was looking out of a window. She'd gotten Josie, Reggie, Kevin, and Betty's word to help break Archie out tomorrow, Lane was the last piece. "We have more important things to discuss but I would like it noted that I am aware you're wearing the same dress as last night."

"Noted," Lane said with a smile tugging at her mouth as she drove them back to her house.

So she filled Lane in on what she found out about Archie and the fight club the Warden had set up that she was sure her father was involved in, as he was involved in everything else, and then the mostly formed plan on how to get him out. By the time she'd finished explaining everything the two girls were sitting on Lane's couch sharing a tub of ice cream, Lane sadly remembering the cake was at Minetta's, as they finished scheming.

Everyone had a place and a job, they knew where to be and when to be there, Betty very cleverly came up with a diversion which is where Lane came in with the getaway car so she could take them to the bunker.

Lane had another part to play but Veronica didn't know about it; yet, possibly ever, Lane was undecided. She hadn't gotten to that point in the game yet.

.^.

Locking the door to his office Warden Norton walked briskly through the detention center conveying orders to the guard he was leaving on duty while he, and several others, would be away. As he headed for the main entrance he passed the visitor's bathrooms, and with his and the guard's back to them the door to the women's room opened. Lane watched them round the corner and she quickly scanned the empty hallway before stepping out of the bathroom and making her way in the opposite direction.

Her pace was quick and her feet light as she glanced over every door until she found the one for the warden. Lane pulled out the lock pick she'd taken from Minetta, after he taught her how to use it, and she knelt in front of the door and went to work. There were five pins she had to get to the right height in order to get it to turn, and she'd gotten to the last one when she heard footsteps coming down the hall to her right.

Her heart jumped in her throat and her blood ran cold, the urge to panic kicking in. But she could almost feel Minetta's mouth at her ear, the way he'd done when they almost got caught when he'd been teaching her – don't rush, it makes you sloppy and you won't get in. Take a breath, nice and easy, and get it done. Lane took a breath hearing the guard coming closer, past the bathroom she'd been hiding in, less than twenty feet from the corner where he'd see her. She carefully maneuvered the last pin in place hearing the tell tale click and she turned the handle, he was less than ten feet now, and she skated inside the office and quietly closed the door.

He turned the corner and she watched his shadow move past the door as he continued on unaware. Lane released the breath she'd unknowingly been holding – that'd been too goddamn close for comfort. Getting a hold of herself Lane turned looking from the bookshelves to the filing cabinet to his neat desk, and she pulled her phone out setting an alarm to buzz when she needed to leave to pick up Veronica, Josie, and Reggie.

With her hair pulled back in a tight bun and wearing a pair of black leather gloves she went through his filing cabinet which mostly consisted of the boys he housed, a few of them had been marked but she didn't know what for. The last cabinet, which she had to get the key from his desk to open, consisted of several boys that had a black mark and the further she looked the more she understood he'd had these boys killed. She also became acutely aware that she'd yet to find Archie's file.

Moving on from that she went through his desk, finding a false bottom in one that revealed a ledger for the fight club Veronica had told her about, as well as the money that he'd been funneling in and out of the juvenile center as well as the names of benefactors the money belonged to. Scouring each and every page she made quite a stack atop his desk, ripping a few pages out of the ledger, before she returned everything else and hid the false bottom behind a bookshelf. She then went through the rest of his drawers adding his day planner to the stack she was taking with her.

There was one she couldn't open and none of the keys she found unlocked it, which meant it was probably on him, which meant she wanted in this drawer. She picked this lock the way she had the door, it took her longer and she ended up resetting all the pins when she was almost done which meant she had to start over. Checking the timer she had less than five minutes, and she couldn't be more than a few seconds late.

* * *

"You're almost out of time," Jughead declared, looking across at the player who bore the Rogue's mark. "Do you retreat with enough time to help the Red Paladin escape, or," he paused looking over the notes he'd scribbled when a new idea had come to him, "do you push through in your desperate need for knowledge at great risk to the quest? Think fast, time is almost spent, chose wrong and the Red Paladin's blood will forever stain your hands."

Considering the options and reaching a decision Sweet Pea looked up from his character, bearing Lane's mark, his eyes shining with determination. "Push through."

A smile carved on Jughead's face as the others held their breath waiting to hear if he'd doomed the Red Paladin. "Congratulations," Jughead said hearing the breath they all released, "you find yourself filled with great knowledge."

"What knowledge?" Sweet Pea asked, needing to know what he willingly risked everything for.

Still smiling Jughead looked at his four players before his eyes once more fell on Sweet Pea. "How to defeat the Mad Emperor."

* * *

The lock turned and Lane pulled the drawer open and her eyes immediately fell to the Gryphons and Gargoyle manual. Suddenly Jughead's words replayed in her mind about how they'd been playing this game longer than they knew, she didn't want to believe it. But she pulled out the file under it and a breath went out of her at the name: Andrews, Archibald.

His bore the same black mark as the dead boys, only she found two cards from the game; one was the Red Paladin as Jughead had referred to Archie and the other was the order to kill him. Without time to properly think on it Lane's eyes fell once more to the drawer and she pulled out the chalice and a small round tin that held a capsule inside. Cyanide. And a decision was reached.

Her phone buzzed signaling her time was up. Lane pulled up the blinds to his window and turned the crank opening it, and then she slid through jumping the small height to the ground. And on the desk she'd neatly laid Archie's file with the two playing cards atop, and beside it she'd set the chalice, and beneath that she'd set the small metal tin having delicately placed a capsule on top of it.

…

Veronica, Reggie, and Josie hurried from the recreation center hidden in the crowd of observers who were making a hasty exit now that one of the fighters had escaped. Lane pulled the car around so they could jump in before any of the guards out front, directed by Hiram who was looking for his daughter, noticed them.

Taking a back road she drove a ways through the woods before Veronica pointed at the small clearing she and Reggie had found the day before when they were mapping out where the drain led to. Lane backed into the spot far enough they wouldn't immediately be seen coming down the road and Veronica jumped out heading for the drain leaving the other three to stay with the car.

"What's that?" Reggie asked as Lane reached across him storing the papers in the glove box.

"Unrelated," she bluntly informed him.

He scoffed a laugh finding she was as impossible as always, and the three climbed out of the car waiting for Veronica to come back with Archie. Reggie pulled the lever on the seat and offered a hand and a grin to Josie as he helped her out. He then moved around the car to stand by the open driver's side door next to Lane. "I saw you talking to Lodge the other week at the speakeasy, I know that face - you're up to something."

"And what if I am?"

He looked down at her through his shades, making sure they stayed on around her because she already didn't like his dad. "You have a plan?" he asked, and she turned to him with a brow raised. "You have a backup plan?" Her face didn't change. "You got a backup for your backup?" She blinked calmly at him and he nodded appreciatively. "Okay." And that settled that, they both turned from each other and continued waiting.

There was a faint whoop of sirens that grew steadily as they raced closer and Josie turned from where she leaned against the front of the car, seeing Veronica helping Archie as he limped toward them. Reggie ran to help get him behind the car and Josie skated around the front as Lane beckoned her behind the open door, and with an arm around her Lane ducked down with Josie as cop cars flew past.

As the sirens faded the two girls in front shared a nod and moved: Josie folding the driver's seat down and Lane helping Reggie get Archie in the backseat. Lane sat in the back with Archie between her and Veronica putting pressure on his wound as she directed Reggie to the bunker.

When they got there Lane and Reggie stood on either side of Archie helping him limp toward the heavy door Veronica and Josie were pulling open. "Make sure to hold him," Reggie said as they lowered Archie in, but Lane carelessly let go and he dropped to the bottom of the bunker. "Really?" Reggie frowned and Lane shrugged.

She waited long enough for Archie to wilt against Jughead, finally safe, before she rolled her eyes and started climbing down the ladder "I will step on you if you don't move," she warned.

"Have a little sympathy," Jughead told her.

Archie was in terrible shape and even worse pain, but he still found it in him to grin and come back with, "I was stabbed."

Her feet hit the bottom and she turned looking down at him and told him dryly, "congratulations," before she stepped over him.

"Brat," Archie said as she entered the tunnel to the main part of the bunker.

Over her shoulder she called back, "wuss." Jughead laughed lightly at the old nicknames they still used over ten years later for each other, but his eyes followed Lane as she made a clear track to the playing cards.

She pushed past Fangs and Sweet Pea and picked up the stack of cards and began rifling through them. She'd get through a chunk and toss them on the ground, get through another and dropped it too. She was almost to the end when she suddenly stilled, finding the one she'd been looking for. _Kill the Red Paladin_ , Sweet Pea read over her shoulder.

"What'd you find in the Mad Emperor's lair?"

It was then Sweet Pea realized what Jughead meant by Lane always being there even when she wasn't here playing – the Mark of the Rogue, he'd played her part today, and almost every time before. As if even the game knew they were meant to be together.

Lane looked up at Jughead with too many confusing unhappy thoughts swirling inside her head, and she didn't have enough information to make sense of most of it. Which she found more annoying than anything. "Later, I've got more important shit to do," she told him dropping the rest of the cards and they scattered at her feet.

"Where are you going?" Jughead asked as she made her way to Fangs.

She reached into his pocket pulling out his keys. "It's like you said, I've got my own game outside of yours." She reached a hand to Fangs' chest telling him, "I'll see you at home."

"You're actually coming home tonight?" he said not even half joking. Other than to get more clothes it'd be the first time she came home in over a week.

Letting Reggie and Archie through as he hobbled to the bed, Lane looked at Fangs and replied with a simple, "be there and find out," before she left.

The sun had fallen by the time she pulled up to the school on Fangs' bike. She chose the school because there was no one there unlike the sheriff's office, and unlike the library there wasn't an alarm and the door to the back had a lock so worn it could be jimmied open with a credit card. She stood at the printer scanning everything she'd found and organizing it neatly into a separate folder, the planner was tedious work and it took what felt like forever. But she got everything, and after manually wiping the hard drive to destroy the backup files the copier stored, she then placed the copies inside a textbook in her locker.

It was almost an hour and a half later when he got her call, his wife still hadn't returned, his daughter was in her room refusing to be in the same room as him. "Lane," Hiram greeted, his thin patience clear in his tone.

"Knock knock."

And his day continued to worsen. With a sigh he let her in and led her to his study, pouring himself another drink. "As I'm sure you are aware this day has been nothing short of unpleasant, and you've found me in an incredibly irate mood," he warned, his eyes hardened to steel as he glowered. He knew she'd helped his daughter with Archie's escape, that she knew where the boy was. This was her rubbing it in his face.  
But she dropped a file on his desk and he glanced down at it before looking at her once more. "And what is that?"

Lane reached for his glass and he sighed heavily before letting her have it. "That is everything I found in the Warden's office that had your name on it," she answered watching his irritably furrowed brow smooth in surprised confusion. "Including your winnings in his ledger as well as," she set the black leather bound day planner beside it, "his calendar outlining your frequent meetings."  
She stood back sipping his bourbon as he took his eyes off of her and rifled through the records she'd collected of every penny he'd funneled through the detention center, and so much more. Other than the word of the guards she'd completely erased his relationship with the Warden. And when his eyes were back on her she informed him, "I did have to leave a few things such as your wife accepting his endorsement for her mayoral campaign. That's easily traced and it'd be more suspicious to not find record of it."

He found himself thinking for a second time that in another life they would've made the most formidable of partners. Before he could think of an appropriate response, one that would have him as the head of this power scheme, his phone rang. Seeing it was his wife, who'd thoroughly chastised him earlier on his dealings with Warden Norton, he stepped back answering it. As Hermione informed him the Warden had been found dead Hiram's face smoothed as he looked to Lane.

She heard enough to know what he'd been told and she waited as he returned the phone to his pocket. "You're welcome for that too," she told him, setting the empty glass on his desk.

For several seconds he stared at her, his breathing short, his mind too full of what she'd done for him today and what reason she possibly could have had to do any of it. He stepped toward her like a cat stalking its prey, only this prey had no interest in self preservation and she didn't move. "I will find out what you're doing and I will put an end to it and you." He stood over her staring down at her pale empty eyes and raised a hand holding her chin. "But tonight, bomboncita, you have my thanks."

There was a moment Lane felt like a child again back in her home with her dad, Mr Lodge stopping to tell her goodbye, fondly calling her that, giving her a piece of candy he'd brought specifically for her. The soft spot he'd always had for her. This had always been personal. "I told you Mr H," she said stepping back with a finger jabbing lightly into his chest, "this was gonna be fun." A small slash of a smile curled on her mouth as she left his study to go home, and he was left watching her go knowing if he didn't take care of her soon she would be the death of him.

.^.

Sweet Pea woke to his tent being opened, the tell tale whine of the zipper, and he reached for his switchblade because no one wanted him at three thirty in the morning. But he saw the shadowed shape of a body he knew as well as his own and he sighed letting go of the knife. "What the hell are you doing here, Lane?"

"I need your help." She said this very plainly, there was no question, there was no sense this was urgent, she said it and he knew she expected him to get out of bed and help her. Which is exactly what he did, because for the past week she hadn't seem to notice he existed, as if no part of her missed him. The way he missed her.

He sat in the passenger's seat next to her as she drove holding the bottle of ipecac syrup she'd given him when he first climbed in. "What are you planning?" he asked knowing her well enough that she only ever had her shit together this well when she was getting something done.

"You lost that right when you walked out."

He scoffed an unamused laugh shaking his head irritably. She hadn't come to him because she needed him, or wanted him to be apart of this, there was no sentiment in wanting to do this together because that's how it'd always been with them. The sentiment was his alone. "Why didn't you ask Fangs?" he demanded through clenched teeth.

"Because Fangs hasn't done anything to deserve it."

"So you are mad at me," he said though it sounded more a question. He couldn't figure her out.

She pulled into the parking lot of the hospital and turned to him with a face void of expression. "How many different ways do you need me to tell you I don't care before you finally understand that I. Do. Not. Care," she said enunciating every word.

But he shook his head not buying it, she only asked for help when she absolutely needed it and she'd broken in and out of this hospital twice. "Why am I here then?" he asked pushing her, wanting any sign that something in her still in fact cared.

"Because I need in the hospital," she answered seeing the way he rolled his eyes. "And you're about to vomit so much it'll come out of your nose, which means they're gonna throw us in a room to wait until you're seen, which means I have free range of their supplies. So," with a hand under his she raised the bottle closer to his mouth, "cheers, baby, drink up."

Scowling heavily he did as told and they waited until all out once he nearly fell out of the car as he started heaving. That was their cue, callously Lane climbed out of the car and she pulled him off his seat and pushed him towards the entrance to the ER. As they walked through the doors her face morphed into one of concern as she looked at the nurse behind the desk.

"He's been throwing up pretty bad the last few hours, we weren't sure if it was food poisoning or something worse," Lane told her. And as if they'd planned it Sweet Pea puked on the floor.

The nurse was on her feet in an instant calling for a bedpan, and as Sweet Pea hurled into that she found an available room and brought them back with the promise the attending would be by as soon as he was able.

And as the door closed leaving the two in the room alone Lane turned to Sweet Pea with a cruel grin. "Told you, piece of cake."

His response was to throw up again, and she looked at him sitting on the table with vomit on his chin miserably giving her what she needed. Taking the pan from him she dumped its contents in the sink and rinsed it out before giving it back to him. And then she wet a paper towel before standing at his side cleaning him up.

He was reminded of a time he'd gotten sick, of the way she'd taken care of him, and he leaned his cheek into her hand with a terrible need for her to hold him. And he snuck a glimpse of her face to see something almost warm in the way she looked at him, not as much as before but it was still there. She loved him, and that's what he'd been needing to see. "Can we talk?"

She looked at his softened eyes knowing what he wanted, letting herself show any amount of care for him had been a mistake. So she stepped back tossing the towel in the trash and stood with her back against the counter and her arms crossed. Defensive. "We're gonna be here awhile, that's a terrible idea."

"That's the point," he told her, pausing as he heaved again. "You want something in this room which means you're stuck in here with me. Whether or not you wanna admit it you wanted to be here with me." Even as she shook her head he knew it was true.

She knew it too, a very small part of her was aware that the way she attacked him every time he was around was proof she couldn't let him go. "You know I'm gonna be a bitch." It's all she could be with him, because being around him hurt every part of her, reminded her how alone she was without him and for the briefest moment she always considered taking him back. So she was mean, because it was the only way to remind herself that she couldn't.

"I know," he agreed tiredly. And that was okay, he did that to her and he could bear the brunt of it. It was the least he could do. "I'm sorry," he said in a soft breath. Then he looked up at her, his eyes shining, "Lane, I'm so fucking sorry," he sniffed hating how quick he was to fall apart. "I swore I'd never leave you and then I what did I do?"

"That's," she raised a hand to her hair brushing it back, pulling on it slightly, "that's not what this is." Not entirely, it wasn't why she was like this, that wasn't what was always on her mind.

But he spoke over her, thinking he knew. "No, I never should've left. It was a mistake. Josie was a mistake," he said even though he still kind of liked her. But he didn't love her, and he figured he could get over her because he couldn't get over Lane.

And just like that her thoughts soured turning into something she couldn't control. "You boning the pussycat is not the problem."

He threw up again and she extended a hand to take the bedpan and dump it in the sink, still caring. "You have to stop brushing it aside, we're never gonna get past this if you don't admit I hurt you." Because he still thought that was the problem, and he thought if she just admitted to herself she was hurt then maybe she'd finally accept his apology.

But that wasn't it, that was so far from what was going on that Lane just couldn't do this anymore. This was getting them nowhere and she couldn't do this if he was still trying to love her. "Get past this and what?" she demanded, her voice carved into something sharp and vicious. "In what future am I stupid enough to take you back?"

His stomach dropped and it wasn't from the medicine. "So our relationship was stupid?" She didn't mean it, she couldn't mean that.

"Considering the only thing I could count on you for was leaving me to figure shit out on my own, yeah, I'd say so."

He shook his head hearing so much of the same argument she kept making. "So this is about Josie."

She turned away from him forcing herself to keep her composure, to not hit him upside the head with the bedpan because he kept trying to drag his high school bullshit into this and she didn't have the time nor the care for it.  
When she'd gotten the urge to hit him out of her system she turned back to him, meeting his dark eyes. "How about you leaving when I first thought I was pregnant, or when I was and we needed to figure out what to do about it and you left me again. Or when I told you we needed to leave because he was trying to kill me again."

"I knew you'd bring that up," he muttered, because she couldn't let it go. Or because he couldn't let it go, that her staying for him is what got their daughter killed, that this was his fault.

But that at no point had ever crossed her mind. "Or," she continued and stepped forward, a terrible light gleaming in her eyes, "we can go back to the first time when the schools merged and I was having to deal with losing the last family I had, that a man I thought I could trust was the one who murdered my father, I had to find a place to live I had to find a job, all of which I did for you, but because you refused to be there for me because your feelings were hurt that I wasn't doing what you wanted me to I instead drowned it all in alcohol. Because god knows even then I couldn't depend on you. So yeah," she finally took a breath, her voice having risen with each hateful point she'd thrown at him, "in what future am I stupid enough to take you back?"  
She was left nearly heaving as she stared at him, his face slackened with shock and hurt at hearing it all put together like that. There was something unreadable in her eyes, something that looked like pain but it was hard to see it beneath the mask of anger. "Loving you was a mistake," she told him, her voice now calm and composed. "One I won't make again."  
There was a moment she held her breath, as though holding something in, before she could finally breathe without it escaping. "I'm gonna give you a minute and I'll come get what I need, and if at that point you want me to leave I will," she told him, simple, matter of fact. And then she turned pulling the door open and she closed it behind her leaving him alone in that room with everything that'd broken between them.

* * *

 _So that last part was rough, but I hope you were able to see that even as Lane was saying it she was hiding something. And there's quite a few details missing from this chapter, like what she wanted from the hospital because Sweet Pea never sees what it is. I did that on purpose, it will all be addressed later. Also, if you can tell, I'm gearing up for my mid season finale and it's gone be CRAZY! But I won't update until I see next week's episode (and maybe the finale), I at least need to know if anything is gonna happen to Minetta, if he'll really be arrested or not. Because I have plans._

 _Also, if anyone is interested in helping me screen an idea I would be eternally grateful. It would be a minor spoiler, not super big, but mostly to see if it's a little bit too much. So let me know if you're interested (unfortunately for guest reviewers I can't respond to you, or else I'd have already sent my immense thanks for the reviews you guys leave)_


	36. Chapter 36

_This chapter is of episode 6 and it ends before episode 7._ _Also, there's a song that sets the mood for this whole chapter - Run Baby Run by the Rigs. If anyone cares._

* * *

She was at her locker exchanging textbooks before the next period when he came up behind her. It was a subtle knowing, it grew quiet around her as people either hurried away or turned to see what was going on. She didn't have everything she needed but the manila folder containing the Warden's documents was visible and she swung her locker shut turning to where the good Sheriff stood behind her.

"I'd like a word, Ms Vivian, if that's alright," he said in a manner she knew he wasn't really asking.

Her gaze didn't stray from his as students moved around them making their way to class, their curiosity made obvious in the way they stared. "The student lounge will be empty when the bell rings." At his nod she started down the hall feeling him close at her heel as he followed her. "Get out," she told the few students hanging around, delaying the inevitability of learning as long as they could. But her order had been barked in a firm tone and when they saw the Sheriff with her they quickly scattered.  
As the last bell rang the two stood several feet apart, but there was something unbearably warm between them that made it feel impossibly close. "You didn't sleep last night," Lane stated, seeing the heavy bags under his eyes.

He hated what it did to him hearing that level of care, which he wasn't convinced she felt, but she knew the way it softened him. So he tried to steel himself against it, against her. "Well there is a manhunt for the boy you helped escape," he said making it clear from the start he knew her involvement, it made her less likely to try to play him and less likely for him to fall for it.

"I hear you gave a girl a seizure questioning her about that," Lane said slinking closer to him, her hand pulling gently on his shirt as though to straighten it, feeling the breath he took at the way her knuckles grazed his middle.

She was too good at getting under his skin. "He's only asking for one name," he told her trying to keep her on track. Or at least to keep himself on track. Hiram was being generous in this request, Lane had all the answers it wouldn't kill her to give him one.

He wasn't biting so she let him go and stepped back, he squared his shoulders as though to shake her off. "I'm sure his daughter doesn't count."

"You know it doesn't." He wanted her to give the name, to prove she could play nice when Hiram asked, to make this a little easier. But there was a desperation to her recklessness, as if she was asking to be hurt.

The reason they worked is because they'd struck a silent agreement not to ask the other for information, Minetta tailed her when Hiram wanted and she drugged him so she could snoop, but they didn't ask. Not like this, and she could tell from his distance he didn't like doing it. No, this was Hiram's order telling him not to come back without an answer which meant he was testing who Minetta was loyal to. "Give him my name, he'll know what it means."

"You need to play this smart," he told her, if they had any chance of doing this.

But Lane shook her head, knowing he was thinking more about her standing with Hiram than his own. "This one's not about me," she said seeing a wrinkle etch between his brows as he wondered what she meant. "And your deputies can handle one night without you."

Again that hint of caring and it had his hands balling into fists to keep from reaching for her. "You gonna be there?" he asked, though his tone was firm in a way they both knew he expected her to be.

She stopped in the doorway, a large dark shadow in her peripheral against the lockers, and a small half smile pulled at her mouth as she turned to look at Minetta over her shoulder. "I am your only suspect," she said, her voice low, suggestive, "I figured there'd be an interrogation."

She left him there shaking his head at her obvious intention, of his own intent. Her icy pale eyes flicked to where Sweet Pea stood listening to what the Sheriff wanted with her, still unable to let her go. It was starting to annoy her, the worst part of her; but there was a very small part, that she kept hidden from even herself, that was begging him not to give up on her.

They walked side by side as she headed for class, knowing his was on the other side of the school. "How long have you been with him?" he asked quietly, unsure whether he wanted the answer when he heard clearly how well they knew each other.

"A month less than me and you," was her callous answer.

If he'd thought about it he could've figured that out on his own, part of him already knew it, but to hear it stated so blatantly hit him square in the chest taking his breath away. He hadn't considered at any point she'd feel for someone else something she once felt for him, and it hurt. Like everything she did. His hand fastened around her arm forcing her to stop and turn to him, and she looked up at him with a mild level of irritability. "If you had to make a choice between him and me."

Her laugh cut him off, it was a sharp dangerous thing that grated on his ears. "Is that what you think this is, that this is what I spend my time thinking about?" she asked rhetorically, a lethal smile carved on her mouth, and it had him stepping back regretting letting himself care about her today. "No really," she said not letting him walk away again, "pussycat had a seizure, I'm going after the guy who's been trying to kill me and is most likely responsible for my accident and what – I'm thinking about who's gonna be my boyfriend?" She laughed again at the absurdity that she'd ever be small enough to care about that.

It was him this time who spoke over her demanding, "then what is it? What is all of this for?"

"Daya." Every awful thing that'd been festering between them the last five months grew silent as they were left with that name, a name they'd only spoken as they wrote it on a birth certificate before they buried her. "Everything I've done, and I'm doing, is for her. So you can stop blaming me, I do that enough myself," she told him in a low quiet voice. "Go check on your little girlfriend, go back to your stupid game, go live your simple thoughtless life. It's over. You did your best," she said with heart wrenching honesty, seeing how much of an effort he was making to figure out what she was trying to tell him, "but we knew from the start how this was gonna end. Your love was never gonna save me."

There was something so sad in her eyes as she blinked, something that wasn't in her vacant face. He watched her walk away wondering what she meant, his mind ricocheting between her and Josie too fast to realize she'd told him everything. All he knew, as she turned the corner disappearing from sight, is that it felt like goodbye.

…

She got a call, as she'd known she would, and clocking out at the shop she drove to the Pembrooke where she was let in by Minetta. He walked her to Hiram's study and he pulled out the chair for her, her quiet gentleman.

All of this Hiram watched from behind his desk unable to decipher the man's true fondness for her. The fondness Hiram himself felt for her last night had been replaced with contempt, she sat across from him nearly glowing. "I had many thoughts on you providing your own name: a cheeky jab at my already knowing your involvement, the naïve assumption I wouldn't have the Sheriff look into you as a suspect under the foolish belief I owe you for what you did for me yesterday. None of which I believe to be true." He folded his hands over his desk leaning forward, seeing what he thought was amusement in her face that had him seething. "It's telling that you felt the need to copy the documents you gave me yesterday to use against me." From the way the corner of her mouth curled he knew that's what she'd done.

But she leaned towards him saying, "no, what's telling is that I knew I'd need insurance when you tried to use my favor to you against me."

She played the victim so well, explained it so simple and pragmatic, that it was almost too easy to believe. "You can't expect me to believe that," he said knowing she had to have something up her sleeve. He allowed himself to think their working together would put her beneath him, would get her under his control or at least have her in a position he knew what she was doing. He'd been very wrong.

"I don't know nor do I care what you believe," she told him with careless honesty that had his jaw clenching. "What I do know is that if I hadn't given a name you would've sent Mike after me claiming a strand of my hair had been found in the Warden's office, and when my house was searched Archie's records would've been found so that you could pin his entire escape on me. Don't look at him," she said when Hiram's gaze flicked to Minetta beside her, "you and I both know this is the first time he's hearing any of this."

Hiram wouldn't have told Minetta his plan to have Lane take the fall for this, not if he thought Minetta would chose her. That's why Hiram tasked him with getting a name out of her, and it's why Lane gave her own. Minetta now understood what Lane meant when she'd said this one wasn't about her, she'd done it for him.

And now Hiram knew too, she didn't seem emotionally attached to the Sheriff but she'd shown her hand – she was protective of him. "You seem to have it all figured out," he said not liking how well she knew him that she'd been able to piece together the plan he'd had in place, "what comes next?"

They'd reached the end of this particular tête-à-tête and she stood placing her hands on his desk as she stared down at him. "The easy answer is if you throw me under the bus I'll reveal my copies and say you asked me to retrieve any incriminating documents. But nothing seems to stick to you, so: I have the name of the bouncer the Warden hired who saw your daughter and the friend she arrived with. And as his," she jerked her head to where Minetta sat, "deputies go through the Warden's belongings looking for any reason he would've killed himself you'll find I'm only one with that name. Should you come after me I will disclose our sexual relationship which will require an outside party to head the investigation, one who isn't in your pocket. Now," she stood upright sounding reasonable, but Hiram scowled severely at how thorough she'd been in thinking this through, "before you start thinking you'll just follow the money to the bouncer's name and have him removed from this equation, know that I've already contacted him and stressed the need for him to close that account. And in order to believably find a hair of mine in the crime scene you'd need to act within the next day or so, I've made it as hard for you track him down as I can, so if you do come after me I will not only release his name but your daughter's and the friend she was seen with. You might have been able to get your daughter out of it, but now you have a witness and two accomplices. And depending on how pissy I feel at the time I might try giving up the copies and pinning the Warden's death on you, see if that sticks." She blinked down at his forcibly calm face seeing the rapid rise and fall of his chest as he fumed. "So, Mr H, next is up to you."

He watched her leave letting his calm wither until he turned burning eyes on Minetta, who sat tiredly rubbing his brow. Minetta sighed looking up at Hiram, who was infuriated not only by Lane getting ahead of him but that she'd done it under his nose. Up until this moment Hiram had been under the allusion she could in any way be reigned in, that her use outweighed her turning on him because he still believed he could get rid of her, that she wasn't a cockroach capable of bouncing back after being stepping on repeatedly.

Holding Hiram's heavy stare he gave a curt nod and told him, "just give the order."

At the very beginning when he'd first brought Minetta in Hiram had seen an opportunity to get someone close to Lane, someone she wouldn't suspect would hurt her. Minetta let it get away from him and Hiram already spoke with him on the matter, but the intention was still there. And Hiram returned his nod, a silent exchange, and watched the Sheriff get up to follow her.

She climbed on the elevator feeling it dip as he came in after her, and she turned around to face him with her back against the wall. He stepped towards her, the doors closing behind him, and with a hand on the rail on either side of her he bent forward so that his nose brushed her forehead. As he looked down at her, and she looked up at him.

 _.^._

It was dark and quiet when Fangs found himself suddenly ripped from sleep and thrown into consciousness. Someone had their legs curled against his side as they leaned over him, dark hair that'd steadily grown past her slender shoulders tickling his neck. With a sigh he settled back trying to calm his frantic heart. "What the hell Lane? What time is it?"

She had an elbow on his pillow propping herself up, and she ran her other hand through his hair and down over his soft warm cheek. "It doesn't matter."

There was something somber in her quiet voice and he blinked up at her nearly glowing in the moonlight that streamed in from the window as she wore a long white nightgown that barely hung onto her shoulders. "What's going on?" he asked reaching a hand to her arm, finding she was cold. So very cold.

"You're gonna hear something about me, the worst thing you could ever hear," she told him in the same airy far away voice that carried a palpable sense of sorrow. She laid over him, the tip of her nose brushing his, her chest against his so that when they breathed they breathed together. "Don't believe it."

His mind was too foggy for this, to understanding what she was saying or how to deal with it. He pursed his mouth around the question, what, before she filled his mouth with hers. The breath went out of him and he laid there a moment too stunned to comprehend, but his arms wrapped around her pulling her closer, tasting the desperation on her tongue.

As quickly as she'd done it she pulled away, and she laid her head on his chest curling an arm around his middle as though clinging to him. He held her against him with a hand cupping the back of her head not knowing what was going on, only that something was. But he was still and she was starting to feel warm and his eyes grew heavy, and eventually he fell asleep with the weight of her against him. But he woke hours later and she was gone.

.^.

They were huddled together in the dark mineshaft wondering what they'd been called together for, what he wanted now. They heard the quiet sound of someone coming down the shaft and they drew tighter together in case they needed to fight. But a woman came out of the tunnel, she was young and small, and they could've mistaken her for an angel the way she glowed in that white dress. "Hello boys," she told them in a low voice, her sweet full mouth curling at the corner. They were so taken by her they didn't notice she'd brought the devil.

Lane stepped aside with her back against the cold stone wall, and from behind her Minetta came brandishing a rifle that cracked like thunder in those dark lifeless mines. There was a certain scent old empty spaces carried, and it filled her lungs in a way that churned in her stomach making her feel sick.

…

The two boys stood with mirrored deep set frowns and pained eyes as they were left with Joaquin's body under a tarp as blue as his lips. They didn't want to deal with this, to be in a situation where they had to deal with this, this wasn't supposed to happen. It was Sweet Pea's idea to call Lane, masking his need for her to be there by saying she'd know what to do: this would be her fourth body – she had the most experience.

But really he just wanted her there, because she'd know. She'd take one look at them and know he'd been their friend, she could pretend to hate Sweet Pea all she wanted but he knew she'd never leave him alone with this. So he wanted her, and Fangs wanted her too.

…

Her phone buzzed in the passenger's seat where it'd been left, Fangs' name and his face lighting up her screen. But she was laid across the backseat wrapped around Minetta as he moved over her, slow and deep, filling the empty parts of her until all she was was part of him.

After they finished they moved to the front so he could continue driving them back to Riverdale, Lane finally noticing she'd missed a call. Beside her Minetta was taking one, and every fiber in his body froze at what he was told. Giving a short affirmative the call was ended and he slowly lowered the phone and turned to where Lane sat beside him, so unaware and trusting. He raised a gentle hand brushing the hair out of her face, letting his knuckles graze her cheek finding her so beautiful it could almost break his heart.

…

Fangs and Sweet Pea sat with vacant stares on the couch in Lane's house not really knowing what to say about what they'd done. But Fangs had had a sick feeling twisting in his gut all day, that hadn't been the first time he called Lane and it wasn't the only time she didn't answer. "I think something's going on with Lane," Fangs finally said, now that it was getting late and she still hadn't called back.

"Something's been going on with her," Sweet Pea said, but it lacked its usual defensive bite. He was simply agreeing. He glanced at Fangs who nodded for him to continue. "She said something yesterday, about us always knowing how this was gonna end." Sweet Pea couldn't make himself say it, that last year she thought she'd die and he'd been so wrapped up in her that he was ready to go down with her – that he still was. "It's like she," he started and sighed letting his head fall into his hands.

"Like she was saying goodbye," Fangs finished for him. And Sweet Pea looked up feeling a pit open up in his stomach that felt like it was gonna swallow him whole. "She came by late last night, she was acting weird." He should've known something was up, he should've pressed her harder. "She said I was gonna hear something really bad about her, but not to believe it," he said looking at Sweet Pea's confused and now worried face because he heard it too, something was happening. All Fangs could do was shake his head. "That's all she said, then she kissed me and she was gone when I woke up."

"She kissed you?" Sweet Pea demanded before Fangs had even finished.

But Fangs was shaking his head. "It's not like that," he told him, because _they_ weren't like that. It's just what happened.

That soured in Sweet Pea's stomach but he could deal with it later, he could be angry about it later. "Did she ever call back?" He looked at Fangs, and Fangs shook his head.

.^.

She never did. Sweet Pea slept on the couch, Fangs slept in the bed, neither one of them actually slept they just pretended to as they laid there replaying the last time they saw her and why they hadn't done anything when it'd been so clear she wasn't okay.

There was a loud slow knock on the door early one morning and suddenly every worry and fear they'd felt filled that small house as they answered it. The deputy standing on the doorstep took his hat off bidding them a somber hello. "Have either of you been in contact with Lane Vivian?" Both boys answered no and he sighed taking a moment to consider his next words. "She has you listed as her next of kin," he said looking to the taller of the two, and realizing Lane had never changed that hit Sweet Pea so hard he almost stumbled back. "We pulled a body from the river we believe is Ms Vivian. We," he paused seeing a fleeting looking of understanding devastation cross both their faces, "we need you to identify her."

They drove down to the coroners office and they felt as cold and dead as the room they were standing in. She was lying on a metal table like a slab of meat, her body bloated almost beyond recognition from being in the river.

"That's wh," Fangs' voice broke and he turned his face away unable to look at her, feeling like he'd be sick, "what she was um," he swallowed the knot strangling his throat, "what she was wearing, the uh, the last time I saw her."

The officer nodded patting his shoulder sympathetically, letting him knowing that was good. But Sweet Pea stepped forward trying to see something in that bloated corpse that looked like her. Because he didn't believe it, he didn't want to believe it, she told them not to.

But there was the beauty mark above her mouth, the one he used to kiss instead of her lips when he was being a tease. The Serpent tattoo warped on her bloated finger, that had his hand tightening feeling the band that'd been tattooed on his own finger start to burn. A flood built behind his eyes until he couldn't see and he turned to the officer nodding.

He opened the door and both boys rushed out needing the air they couldn't find in that cold room. He led them both to an office and invited them to sit, and with their legs trembling like jelly they all but fell onto the chairs. He'd made several notes including what Fangs had said about the last night he'd seen her, that he was the last one who'd seen her alive. "Did Lane mention anything to you that night?"

Fangs shook his head unable to think, too shell shocked to do anything more than gape. He ran a hand over his face realizing he'd been crying the whole time. "She was acting weird," he said in a voice that shook. "I should've known, I should've," done something, but the knot in his throat tightened cutting him off.

"Strange how?"

He glanced at Sweet Pea who, in a very minute way, shook his head. Sweet Pea's eyes were dry, and they burned. "I don't know, it's like she knew this was gonna happen."

The officer nodded making note of that. "Do either of you know if she was seeing anyone?"

Sweet Pea's eyes darkened as he turned to the deputy. Lane told Fangs not to believe what he heard about her, but this was the one factor Lane could never completely control. His resolved cracked a little, starting to believe this might be real, that she might actually be dead. "You think Minetta had something to do with this?" he demanded, his body beginning to shake as his blood boiled.

There'd been talk for the last several months about how often Lane came by or how often she'd been seen with their Sheriff – it was just talk, assumptions, gossip, because the relationship would've been inappropriate but not illegal. And he sighed heavily, because the last time Fangs saw Lane was the same day they last saw Sheriff Minetta: a clearer picture of this case was starting to form. "Was Lane aware she was pregnant?" If she knew then they might've found a motive.

But both boys wore the same look of shock and he knew this was the first they were hearing of it, Fangs then gave that confirmation that he hadn't known but he couldn't say one way or another if Lane had. Fangs looked at Sweet Pea to see his face had blanched and he'd stopped breathing. "Hey," he said reaching a hand to his arm, but Sweet Pea jerked away.

"How far along?" Sweet Pea asked. The deputy shook his head but Sweet Pea asked again, "how far along was she? Two, three weeks?"

The deputy sat back seeing through the boy's level of grief. "You were with her at that time?" he clarified, and Sweet Pea lowered his head into his hands and nodded. "Is there anyway he found out about that?" Given the state of the body and how long she'd been dead the coroner couldn't give a definitive estimate how far along she'd been, but jealous lover was now being added against Minetta.

"I don't know," Sweet Pea said, his hands curling into fists pulling his hair. It was too much all at once, he couldn't think straight. He couldn't think at all. Neither he nor Fangs really had much more information so the deputy gave them his card and let them go.

Sweet Pea stumbled outside heaving for a breath he couldn't catch, and he turned to Fangs with wide hopeless eyes. And his mouth opened trying to ask what just happened but the only sound he made was a sob, it all suddenly hit him and he dropped to his knees with his palms pressed against his eyes as his shoulders shook with his crying.

* * *

 _And that is the winter mid season finale. I won't say one way or another what actually happened to Lane, but_ _b_ _ecause a lot of effort went into last chapter, I will say this - there are a few clues hidden in it. And I'd love to hear you guys' theories if you have them. Also, if you think you don't want to read the rest of the story you can always message me and I can let you know a little what I'm planning - you can then decide if you want to stick around, or you can drop the story since you know what'll happen. (please note, I cannot respond to guest reviews)  
I know where this story is going there's just a few minor details I need in order to continue, so I will be back sometime next year when the show starts back up to finish this.  
_

 _Until then, I am still working on Tower Over Me (With Your Arms Like Towers) - this one's about to take a DARK turn, Lane's in a very similar situation to Betty.  
Also, in my One Shots I am reworking season 3 with Lane and Sweet Pea staying together and having the baby through season 3. The first chapter is up, it's chapter 12 if anyone's interested.  
_

 _Otherwise, I will see ya'll next year._


	37. Chapter 37 - winter special

_And you guys thought you'd heard the last of me for the year. So this is my super short little winter holiday special, I guess you could call it (it doesn't take place in winter, it's just posted during that time) I was originally planning to put this up on the tenth, which was the last day of Hannukah; cause you know our girl Lane is Jewish. But I got sick and that didn't happen, so now it's just on a random day._

 _This starts about a week, if not a little more, after Lane died. And then there's one scene that's maybe a few weeks after that - just know, when you see the line break it's really a flashback, and I put a little note there as well. Just wanted to give ya'll a heads up. Anyways, I'll shut up and let you guys enjoy.  
_

* * *

Lane had been ten standing beside Rebecca as she wept over her father's casket, where he would be put in the ground and smothered under six feet of dirt. How would he know the sky or feel the wind, if all life was was an inevitable death then how was he going to live now. So Lane never wanted a funeral or a coffin, she didn't want the six feet of dirt trapping her in a dark empty nothing. She wanted the wind and the sky. So even though it was against Jewish belief Sweet Pea was going to do what she wanted and have her cremated, her ashes would be planted with a tree next to where they'd buried Daya.

Except the investigation was still ongoing, they'd completed the process to release the body when the police found what they thought was Minetta – without head or hand it was hard to identify him. And so they had to wait, long enough for Mrs McCoy to call him needing to discuss her will.

"Why didn't you call Fangs?" Sweet Pea asked sitting across from her large desk at her office. Lane left everything to Fangs, it wasn't a surprise but it hurt like hell. Except the funeral arrangements, that she'd left for Sweet Pea.

She spoke delicately knowing how hard this was, him having not even lost their child six months earlier. "She was very clear on what she wanted when she changed her will." It only struck Sierra odd then, realizing Lane had come exactly a week before she died to change it. "She wanted you, specifically, to have her buried in the plot beside her father."

"But that's not," he said before cutting himself off because they'd already been over this. Lane had been clear, it was done right before she died, therefore they were following through with it. But it wasn't what she wanted, they could pretend to hate each other but he knew her. They'd talked about this after Midge's funeral, she was terrified of being buried to the point he hadn't even been able to tease her about it. It didn't make sense why she'd suddenly change her mind. "Is there anything else?" he asked, planning to go home and talk about this with Fangs because he'd know how weird this was.

Sierra pulled a sealed envelope out of Lane's file and set it on the end of her desk in front of him. "This is the reason I called you here, she left this for you."

He stared at it a long moment tracing the delicate curve of her writing, trying to picture her writing it. But he couldn't, all he could see when he thought of her was the way she'd been looking at him the last time she spoke to him – her face empty of any emotion as it'd been for months but her eyes, those pretty green eyes, they'd been so sad.

But he reached for it gently taking it off the desk, running his thumb over the ink like he'd be able to feel any part of her. It was as cold as she'd been and he sighed turning it over so he could rip it open and see what last thing she had to say to him was. But across the seal she'd written a string of symbols and he froze recognizing them. "Thank you," he told Mrs McCoy as he stood.

Not waiting for her to say anything else, unable to hear anything else, he walked out of her office and headed to the front door. "Hey," Josie said from where she sat in the waiting area. "I heard what I happened to Lane, Sweet Pea I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do, do you want to talk about it?"

He looked down at the hand she set on his arm, a few weeks ago he would've given in. But he looked at her and all he could hear was Lane's voice reminding him she'd never want him. "Is it Mantle being more into Veronica than you or do you actually care, because last I checked I wasn't good enough for you to be anything more than a fling?" he said through his teeth, almost tasting Lane from how much that sounded like her.

Josie stepped back pulling away from him, hurt shining in her eyes. "We both agreed it would only last the summer, I never asked you to catch feelings you made that decision on your own. You wanna feel guilty for thinking about me instead of her, go right ahead you probably should. You don't want a friend, that's fine. But I didn't deserve that."

"I know," he said running a hand through his hair, pulling it slightly. This wasn't her fault, he had to remind himself of that. It was his, it had always been his. "I'm glad you're okay," he told her before he left.

He pulled into the driveway seeing Fangs' bike wasn't there, he was probably with Cheryl and Toni because the house smelled like Lane. Locking the door behind him he pulled the envelope and his phone out looking for translation. They found Daya's name in a book he himself had found, he knew these were Hebrew letters.

 _keep it between us_

The corners of his mouth pulled down in a severe frown as he opened it, wondering what she wanted kept from Fangs. There was no loving greeting, she hadn't put his name at the top. No, the first thing she said was – _don't bother questioning anything you're never going to get it, and you know I won't tell you_. A breath of a laugh escaped him before his eyes filled too full and he let his head hang. It was just so much like her, he could hear her say it, he could even picture the way her mouth would've formed those words.

They'd been in a horrible place but they'd been there together, if he'd known the last time was going to be the last time he would've told her he still loved her. Because lately he wasn't sure she knew that. And the thought of her dying thinking that, even a little – he rubbed his eyes trying to get a hold of himself. When he'd sniffed it all back he kept reading, and the further he got the more his face smoothed with understanding. It was still funeral arrangements, only now he knew who he was burying.

.^.

They were gathered around the open ground the coffin hadn't yet been lowered into, the Northsiders who'd known her longer and the Serpents who'd loved her. They didn't know where Jughead was, somewhere with Archie, and they didn't know where Betty was – they were honestly surprised Cheryl was there, and she stared at the coffin with such hopeless desperation she could barely breathe. Toni could only stand with her arms around her knowing it wasn't enough, that it'd never be enough.

Sweet Pea kept his eyes on the ground near his feet so no one would notice they were dry, but Fangs did. More than that he knew why, or he thought he did. Lane didn't just leave the house to him, she signed the deed over to him so that it was in his name before she died. On top of that was a post-it note with the number for the joint account she and Sweet Pea had set up when they decided they were keeping the baby – and she'd transferred all her money into it.

 _You're gonna hear something about me, the worst thing you could ever hear_. He'd had the answer the whole time, but he let himself fall for it even though he knew how convincing Lane was. _Don't believe it._ He glanced up at Sweet Pea's empty face knowing he wasn't telling him something.

Across from them Hiram Lodge stood with his wife, his daughter was on Cheryl's other side and she'd cornered him when he arrived asking if he'd come to spit on her grave. But this time his hands were clean. He still had men out of sight looking for any sign of Lane, not foolish enough to simply believe her gone. But Minetta was out of the picture and the blood results were still coming up Lane's. It was ruled an accidental death or possible suicide; she'd taken two sleeping pills on top of being drunk, she'd fallen into Sweetwater River and drowned. He kept the emotion from his face, feeling the smirk twitch behind his lips. In the end he hadn't needed to do anything, but wait for her to destroy herself.

.^.

He was walking through a neighboring town on business when he saw her across the street, watching him. His eyes glanced over her unaware before his mind caught up to that deceptively sweet face, and he came to a sudden halt as he turned back to where he saw her. A bus roared past blocking his view and Hiram stepped to the curb knowing what he'd seen, he'd know that face anywhere. But the bus passed by and it was a normal busy street corner with no one he recognized.

Until there was a perfect break between two people revealing the short young woman walking away, her dark hair bouncing on her shoulders. Blindly he charged after her stepping off the curb into the street not caring for the horns that honked or the tires that squealed to avoid hitting him. There was murder in his eyes as he gained on her leisurely pace, and when he got close enough he grabbed her thin arm jerking her around to meet his lethal scowl.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

His face slackened with confused surprise as he found himself looking at a woman no less than five years older than Lane and really looked nothing like her. He quickly looked up trying to see if he'd grabbed the wrong person, so sure she was still somewhere near. But a purse hit him in the face and he let go stepping back.

"Get your hands off me, asshole," she yelled hitting him again.

Hiram watched her go realizing she was even wearing the shirt he'd seen. It had never been Lane, only his mind. And he brushed himself off giving an irritable derisive laugh at himself, that even in death she was still able to get to him.

* * *

 _(two days after the funeral)_

Sweet Pea followed the directions Lane left him in the letter to a T. It's how he found himself in a cemetery a few towns over, where the body that was pulled from Sweetwater River had been buried beside a man with the last name Rodriguez – her father, he assumed. They buried an empty casket in Riverdale. He didn't let himself think about it too much, about what it was gonna take to get her back; but it got to him sometimes at night when he was alone with himself.

He felt someone come up behind him, it was a strange knowing because he didn't hear them – but something in him knew, like it'd been waiting. His heart jumped to his throat as he turned around and the sight of her floored him.

* * *

 _So that was my winter holiday special, there will be another one coming around New Year's. If I plan it right (which knowing me I won't) I'd love to post it at midnight on New Years Eve, but we'll see. But that chapter will explain all of the details that I mentioned in chapter 35 that I wasn't showing you - so it's gonna detail everything leading up to Lane's death. (again, chapter 35 has all the clues) As well as a small continuation of this last scene with Sweet Pea in the cemetery. So now, I will really see you guys next year._


	38. Chapter 38 - New Years special

_Happy New Years everyone! (at the time I'm posting this) So this is my not so short New Years special, it jumps through details from chapter 35 and 37 then to Sweet Pea in the cemetery: I tried really hard to make it easy to know where in the story it was taking place so that you guys shouldn't have to go back and read those chapters. I'll shut up now, and I hope ya'll enjoy._

* * *

He looked up from his case file at the sound of a knock on his door. She'd been by often enough he knew her soft pattern. With an aggravated sigh Minetta climbed to his feet and let her in. She wore a showy gold dress with a neckline that plunged almost to her navel, and he wasn't a man easily taken by a pretty woman but something about this one did terrible things to him.

"I'm meeting with him tomorrow, if that's what you're wanting," he told her as she slipped around him into his apartment. He'd gotten off the phone with Hiram only a few minutes before, who'd only just learned of Minetta's relationship with Lane and was fuming.

His eyes followed her as she moved to where he'd left his phone, taking control as she always did, wanting something as she always did. Finding what she wanted she put the phone back down and turned blinking slowly up at him as the start of a slow swaying song began to play. "You owe me a dance," she told him softly, her face the picture of innocence.

Without any conscious thought he stepped to her wrapping a hand around her back, feeling the warmth of her soft skin beneath his palm, and he took her smaller hand in his other as they began to sway. There was something in her eyes as she stared up at him, something he couldn't read, but the music swelled and he spun her slowly. When she came back she let her head fall to his chest with her cheek resting over his heart, and if she held her breath she swore she could hear it beat.

They went on like this softly for the next few songs, his cheek over the top of her head breathing in the smell of her shampoo, and her eyes closed with her face slightly upturned smelling his cologne. "You're gonna be the death of me," he said at last. Minetta already knew what to say to convince Lodge Lane hadn't corrupted him, but he knew how this would eventually end. And most likely it would end with her, staring at those beautiful cold green eyes.

Her eyes opened and she took a breath before looking up at him, and again he saw something in them he couldn't place. Something dangerous. "Guess you should've thought about that before driving my car off the road," she said softly, seeing something in his expression still. There was no need for an accusation, they both knew what he'd done.

"How long have been thinking that?" he asked wondering why she was here, why she'd come here if she knew.

They weren't dancing anymore but his arms were still around her and she had one hand on his chest and the other around his back, they weren't dancing but they held each other still. "Longer than I was willing to admit."

He'd been hoping to have more time, to convince her it was never personal and he'd never stop regretting that he had to do it. But of course she was too smart for that, she always was. She wanted something, that's what was in her eyes – need. "You wanna know how long he's had me watching you," he said rather than asked.

"I wanna know how long you've been in love me," she said, because that was gonna tell her more. It'd tell her how much she could trust him or whether she needed to have Hiram kill him. And she watched the smallest twitch at the corners of his mouth, that was the right question.

"The day we met," he told her without hesitating, as though he'd been waiting for this conversation. As though he'd known from the beginning exactly how this was gonna go. "You had me figured out before I opened my mouth." He could still remember her wide eyes as he approached her in the high school, playing the part of concerned Sheriff as he arrested her friend.

Her brow cocked and a cruel smirk formed. "That's sweet," she told him in an emotionless voice, stepping forward so the he was forced back, "but it doesn't explain why you didn't kill me that day at the garage. You had a perfect shot." Instead he'd given Spyder enough time to get her out of the way, just like this time when he'd left tire treads on the road so the Serpents would find her.

He took another step back, then another, as she herded him. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked instead. He'd never admit how long it'd been, she'd have to care for it to matter and she'd never let herself.

"What's the matter, Mike?" she asked, and the back of his legs hit the couch forcing him to sit looking up at her as she stood over him. Toying with him. "Worried I'm gonna kill you?"

His chest rose and fell in quick rhythm as he waited for what she really wanted, her face a level of calm he knew not to trust. "That is the obvious next move." It's how he always figured this would end, he just hadn't thought it would end so soon. But she grinned in a way that wasn't pretty and he swallowed heavily.

She pulled the thin straps from her shoulders letting the dress slip down her body and gather at her feet, seeing the heavy dip in his chest as he lost his breath. "You're lucky I need you." She set a knee on either side of him so that she was pressed against him feeling how deep his breathing had grown as he continued staring up at her, his face now level with her bare chest.

His hands came around her hips as she settled on his lap. "For what?" he asked without hesitation.

This is what she'd been working him toward for the last four months, he'd do anything she asked him to. She could see it in his eyes as he waited, as he'd been waiting until she was finally ready to make her move. Because he'd always known how this was gonna end. "You're gonna help me die."

.^.

It was a slow moving plan with several pieces Lane and Minetta got into place over the span of the next couple weeks while they both continued to play their parts. Minetta as the Sheriff and Hiram's right hand, and Lane as a Serpent and now an active partner of Hiram's. Hiram would never trust her, he'd never find her more useful than threatening; it was never about that. It was about access to what he was really planning for Riverdale, where the drugs were coming from and where they were going, it was about finding people capable of being turned against him. It was about taking him down.

And all the while behind closed doors she and Minetta went round and round, and round again, scrutinizing every detail to her plan until they'd molded it into something absolute. They knew what they needed to do, the timeframe it needed to be done within, and how. Only one piece was missing, and it'd taken Minetta a week before he found it.

Lane stood outside the elevator in the Pembrook in a dress he'd asked her to wear, knowing he had something planned. Not many people could take her by surprise, but Minetta did it with ease. "The dress is for me," because he cared too much, "the waitress is for you."

Her heart quickened as she looked at him realizing they'd finally done it, and then the realization that the end was near – there was a flicker of a thought that looked like Sweet Pea, but she was getting better at hiding it from herself. When they finally made it to the diner and sat in the booth Lane looked up at the sweet natured waitress with the grave misfortune of bearing a slight resemblance to the malevolent girl she smiled at as she asked what drink Lane wanted.

"What do we know about her?" Lane asked when she left, finding it eerie and unsettling how much they looked alike. Except for the eyes.

"She and her father came here from Mexico a couple years ago, and she's been using his expired work visa since he died last year," he told her, having gone through a number of girls before finding this one. Like she'd been sent here to serve this purpose. "When we're ready I'll send the paperwork through, with how poorly their files are managed it'll look like she'd been deported."

It was perfect, so goddamn perfect, and yet Lane took a sip of the water the girl only a few years older than her set down suddenly feeling nauseous. Minetta looked across at Lane seeing something hiding behind her stony façade, a softness she tried to refuse. She couldn't do this on her own, he'd have to be her backbone. And he spent the rest of the evening and all of the next day soothing her doubt, playing her favorite song because he knew she'd want to dance. And they did, dance.

.^.

Helping Veronica break Archie out was neither being a Serpent nor working for Hiram, it was just being Lane. And honestly Lane wasn't sure she knew who that was anymore. She looked in the mirror and she'd see the waitres or she'd see Sweet Pea – the pieces of who she was now and who she used to be and they just didn't fit. Knowing what she was gonna do Lane had to wonder if it was all worth it, if she was worth it. If the life she was trying to ensure she could live was even one worth living.

…

"Loving you was a mistake," she told Sweet Pea callously as he sat on an exam table holding a bedpan, "one I won't make again." His eyes were so wide and pained as she decimated every effort he made to love her, but she wouldn't have it. "I'm gonna give you a minute and I'll come get what I need, and if at that point you want me to leave I will." She watched understanding slowly harden in his stare, she was never going to take him back.

Closing the door behind her she walked calmly to the bathroom down the hall and she locked that door before she fell apart. With a hand hooked on either side of the sink and her head hung she held her breath choking her tears, and when they passed she looked up at herself in the mirror seeing the face of another girl who was better than she would ever be.

But she blinked and all she was left with was this person she didn't recognize or even want. He'd hate her if he knew what she was doing. "You don't get to love him," she told the girl in the mirror, like she was someone else. And whoever she was she didn't get to have him, she'd taken enough from him.

Sweet Pea didn't look at her when she came back, she looked through the drawers for what she needed and took it. She stood at the counter feeling him behind her with every part of her screaming at her to turn around, to go to him. "I'll call Fangs to get me," he told her, unable to look at even the back of her. The breath she'd been holding passed silently from her lips and she turned the handle and left him.

…

It wasn't the door opening and closing, it wasn't drawer slamming shut or the bed dipping as she sat beside where he lay, it was the sniffing that woke Minetta. He blinked the sleepy shadows from his eyes until she began to take shape, sitting on the edge of the bed holding a half empty bottle of wine as she stared at the carpet. "What are you thinking about?" he asked her softly, not wanting to startle her. Because there something that felt so fragile in her silence.

"Dying." She hadn't meant for that to come out but she always said too much when she was drunk. He was sitting up immediately as he reached for her, her skin was cold. He tried grabbing the bottle not wanting her to do this tonight but she pulled away. "I have to be drunk for it to be believable," she told him, and then she giggled. It was high pitched, deranged. "As if I need to be drunk to wanna kill myself."

All at once he understood, this time he only reached for her chin to turn her to face him and she let him. "How long have you been off your meds?" he asked running his thumb over her wet cheeks.

"You know, I tried to kill myself last year," she said as though she hadn't heard him.

"You told me."

"I did?" she asked, her face scrunching up as she tried to look at him but between the tears and the dizziness she couldn't see him. "Oh yeah, you asked," she said vaguely remembering that he had after being prescribed the antidepressant. "You're the only one who really asks about me," because unless it was Serpent related no one else had, not even Sweet Pea. "No one in the whole world knows me more than you, and you killed my daughter."  
This time she let him take the bottle from her and he set it on the nightstand before he turned back to her. She was so drunk he held an arm out to her and she crawled over him to lay against his chest, sober she wouldn't let him bring her this close. It strayed too close to intimacy for her. "I wish you killed me too sometimes."

"I know." She didn't have to tell him that he could see it in her eyes, he could hear it in the way she sighed. As if life to her had become as inconvenient as it was inevitable. "Go to sleep," he said with an arm around her shoulders.

She sighed against him feeling the warmth she'd found in the bottle solidify until the weight of the entire world held her down. "You have to draw my blood," she mumbled, her eyes already closing.

He felt her jerk herself back awake, the sensible part of her trying to remind herself why she was doing this. "I will when you're asleep," he told her in effort to quiet that part of her mind. She went limp against him as she settled into an uneasy sleep, the only sleep she was able to get anymore. With her unconscious and compliant, unable to push him away, he held her a few moments longer.

.^.

For a moment she was aware of how warm she was wrapped in a blanket and a pair of strong caring arms, for a moment it felt like peace. Then the pain came in, along with the realization she was still laying over Minetta's chest. She sat up reaching a hand to her head that ached hard enough it nearly blinded her. Feeling a pull in the crease of her arm she looked down seeing the bandaid he'd placed after the blood draw. "How much did I drink?" she asked in a voice too hoarse to be hers.

"Half the bottle," he answered brushing her hair back, feeling how clammy her skin was. Something resembling a scoff escaped her mouth before she winced finding it too loud. "Do you still want to die?" he asked needing to know where her head was at, if he needed to be helping her.

Sitting at the edge of the bed with her feet on the floor and her head hung forward in her hand she told him simply, "all the time." She'd never convince herself so instead she just stood, and she paused as she and the world swayed in different directions. "Don't think too much on it, even at my happiest," which was with Sweet Pea, "it never really went away." It was always there like a festering wound.

She left the door open to the bathroom and he heard the soft sound of the shower running, of the water hitting her body before it fell into the tub. He was left in a bed that quickly grew cold without her feeling so much care for this broken girl, caring for her more than she cared for herself.

.^.

Lane climbed onto the elevator feeling it dip as Minetta climbed in after her, and she turned to him seeing the doors close behind him as he stepped toward her. With a hand holding the rail on either side of her he bent forward so that his nose brushed her forehead."Is he ready to kill me?" she asked, because he knew Hiram better.

His mouth twitched as he settled more against her, feeling the elevator lurch before it took them down to the lobby. "You're getting him there." And it would happen sooner rather than later, that's what tonight was about.  
Or at least partly, because Minetta realized as she directed Hiram's attention away from him that she'd really been doing this as a way to protect him. No matter how hard she tried not to care, it was second nature to her. It's why when Hiram finally gave him the order to take her out, an order he'd convinced Hiram he was waiting for, Lane wouldn't be able to do what was needed. Because underneath it all this callous uncaring girl cared too much. Standing over her now staring down at her glittering green eyes, he was ready to do what she couldn't. Because she needed him.

.^.

She could feel it on the wind that carried a chill threatening the coming winter, it crept down the back of her neck making her shiver – the end. It didn't make sense for Lane to know, they'd planned everything down to the week Hiram would finally give in and they were still two weeks from that. And yet she laid awake beside Minetta when night had grown late enough to become morning, and she knew. Intuition, it was the same thing she felt within her own body but she wasn't ready to acknowledge that yet.

But it's how she found herself creeping into her own home and settling against Fangs' side listening to his deep even breaths. She'd memorized that sound, and on the bad nights she set her body in tune with his and let it soothe her. She loved him, so goddamn much. But she could never leave him, not like this, not thinking she was gone.

"You're gonna hear something about me, the worst thing you could ever hear," she told him, as if she wasn't about to do the very worst thing. "Don't believe it."

She kissed him, not because she wanted to or because it felt right, there was just too much feeling and it was the only way she could let it out. He had to know, he could probably taste it. But she laid with her head over his chest feeling his arms around her, assuming that because she was there she was safe. Not knowing she was the thing someone needed to be saved from. He'd hate her too if he knew.

.^.

The only one who didn't or wouldn't hate her was Minetta, and as she stood in the dark cave with her heart hammering in time with the gunshots she wondered if she always knew it'd be this way. Looking at his deadly serious face as the crack of gunfire lit his features momentarily she could almost imagine what life with him would be. Several minutes later, and several miles further down the road, as he laid moving over her in the backseat she could feel what life with him would be.

They stayed that way for a small time her hands on his back and him laying over her with a hand in her hair as he stared down at her. He wondered if she knew how sad she looked, the kind of sad that aged her normally pretty features and made her look tired. Pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead he pulled down the skirt of her white nightgown, the one he knew would get the boys attention because she looked so goddamn beautiful in it.

She let him pull her with him out of the car and she took a breath gathering a bit of herself that she'd lost, that nothing about this was what she wanted – not him, not her, not what she was doing. As always her mind strayed to Sweet Pea, and mostly Fangs. She was trying to find any way to convince herself not to go through with this. They climbed in the front and she reached for her phone seeing Fangs had called her, and then texted that he needed her.

She was contemplating helping him, as she always did and was likely to do now, or forcing him to learn how to do this without her when Minetta got a call. Watching him she saw the way he froze, not angry that came with the clenching of his jaw or the twitching of his eye; she'd never seen this before. "What's happening?" she asked when he finally turned to her, a gentle hand on her cheek as his sad eyes bored into her face like he was trying to memorize it.

If she knew what Hiram was planning she'd never go through with this, she'd stay for her friends and part of her would stay for him because at some point she'd tied herself to him. "He's upping the timeline," he said leaving her to think the he in question was Hiram, and not Minetta himself. This needed to happen before he was gone. "I know you hate plans changing, that's why we planned for this."

Lane knew he wasn't telling her something, the way he wouldn't tell her whether Hiram was involved with G&G and the seizures. But he was still helping her which meant he wasn't turning against her, which meant Hiram was turning against him. She sat beside him as he drove back to Riverdale going over every angle of the plan, factoring in him coming with her. It didn't work. If they both disappeared Hiram would know, if Minetta stayed then he'd convince Hiram Lane was dead, but if Lane died and Hiram got rid of Minetta then he'd never question her being alive. "There's still time to come up with something." This came from the small weak part of her, the part that desperately hung onto Sweet Pea, refusing to just let him go.

"You know as well I do this works out better," Minetta told her, wishing it didn't mean as much as it did that she was trying to save him. Pulling into the driveway of her old house that stood dark and empty he cut the engine and turned to her, seeing the way she looked up at it as though the building itself was a ghost. "Get your boy to be your eyes, see this through, and I'll take care of the rest."

The car shook as his door closed and she watched him let himself in the house her father had died, knowing what he was about to do. There was still time to stop this, to change her mind. But she knew she wouldn't, she'd come too far and she was far too stubborn and she hated that about herself. A week ago Lane had broken into the waitress' house for two reasons, to find a spare key and something with her DNA. Minetta told Lane they couldn't do anything to the file they had at the Sheriff's station because it'd be flagged, but they could alter the lab's results and have the waitress, who wasn't in any system, come up as Lane.

Eventually her thrashing body stilled and she lay in the filled tub with her dark eyes held open, lifeless. In a few hours the typical eerie milky hue would cover that, no one would ever know. Minetta turned to see Lane standing in the doorway behind him, her face a hard mask but her green eyes stared hopelessly at the dead girl in the tub. Pleading.

"Lane." His voice was soft as he stood, letting his hands drip because knowing this house – that Hiram owned – was the place she really died was part of the plan. But it was enough to jar Lane and she held out a towel and the tattoo gun she'd taken from a Serpent a couple weeks ago.

It's buzzing filled the cold desolate air as he gave the girl the same mark Lane bore an inch above the right corner of her mouth, and then he set about drawing the serpent on her finger. "Her skin'll bloat, it doesn't have to be perfect," Lane said, hating herself for saying it.

 _There's this old western I used to watch with my dad, it was a terrible movie really. But the hero and his villain are in the typical standoff and they turn their backs and walk their ten paces before pulling their guns, and you just know the hero's gonna get his shot off first. But they both drop dead. Because really, what's a hero without his villain._

Lane was never going to be the hero, eventually she'd convinced herself that was okay. His cold wet hands wrapped around her arms and she looked up at him wondering again if they couldn't just run away. She could still be dead.

As if reading these thoughts from her eyes he pulled the nightgown from her shoulders so he could dress the corpse with it. And he pressed a firm kiss to the top of her head before pushing her out of the bathroom, so she could put on the clothes he'd grabbed for her and leave – a silent goodbye.

.^.

In the early stages of getting everything in order Lane had done the little things, one being her will and including where to bury the body because she couldn't let the girl rot alone. However, with Minetta now gone, and Lane now blind, she snuck into Sierra McCoy's office in the early hours of the morning before the sun even thought to rise and replaced the original letter she'd left for Sweet Pea with one that would tell him a little more.

She didn't go to the funeral they planned for her even though she wanted to, she knew Hiram would consider the possibility this was a farce and have his men along the perimeter looking for her. So she stayed away. But she got a call later that day on a phone only one person had the number to, and seeing that familiar string of numbers tore at her heart a little.

Fangs stood in the house Lane left him holding the post it note Mrs McCoy had given him along with the deed and the bank account she'd transferred all her money to. The ringing stopped abruptly and he froze listening, trying to hear anything to let him know it was her. But there was only silence. "I know this is probably for emergencies, but I just wanted you to know," he started, finding himself suddenly breathless, "I heard you loud and clear baby girl." He waited wishing she'd give him something, just a breath of a laugh. But his phone beeped and he looked to see she'd hung up, and he sighed disappointed.

But several miles away Lane sat in a hotel room she'd paid for in cash holding the phone to her chest as tears filled her eyes. It took just about everything she had to pull herself back together, and even then it felt like she'd left a little piece of her with him.

.^.

He stood at the grave of a girl he'd never known, who probably deserved him more than she ever would. He was smart enough to leave the jacket, to not make it as obvious who he belonged to, but she knew the shape of him. Even the back of Sweet Pea had Lane's heart quickening in a way she'd tried so hard to stop. She got close enough he could hear the soft rustle of her as she stopped, could smell her perfume on the wind. He turned to her and she watched his face fall apart as utter relief made his knees weak.

The vulnerability in his wet eyes made Lane uncomfortable, that she was having to do this because this was not the plan. She let him go, or at least she'd gotten him to let her go so he wouldn't feel as responsible for this. But she needed someone in Riverdale and Minetta now wasn't, and really it had always been Sweet Pea for her. "I just want it to be known, my original plan was not this messy."

A broken breath of a laugh escaped him as he shook his head at that being the first damn thing out of her mouth. And it was so like her it just about ruined him. Because forever wasn't without her, and for a while he really thought it was going to be. He wanted to kiss her, and he wanted to shake her, and yell, scream even. She was the worst person he'd ever met.

He was still gaping at her and she could see he had too many thoughts and couldn't pick one. Obviously he was relieved, but he was mad too and she expected that – she never expected him to forgive her, it's why she pushed him away, needing him to let her go. But he stepped forward, his face stuck in the initial shock, and he stood only a breath away staring down at her with too much in his eyes for her to really know what he was thinking.

His arms came around her back pulling her up onto the tips of her toes as his head fell to her shoulder, squeezing her tight enough she couldn't breathe. And she stood with her arms at her sides staring unknowingly at the sky as a flood built behind her eyes. She'd felt so lost since the accident, like part of her never really came back and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't fill it. But it hit her, hard and sudden; like coming home. And she threw her arms around him.

They stayed that way for a long while, feeling pieces of what had broken between them begin to shift as they tried to pull back together. But their eyes dried and their breathing calmed and they pulled only far enough away to see each other. "What happens now?" he asked knowing enough that she couldn't just come back. He didn't even know if she ever planned to come back. He'd go with her if she was running, with nothing but the clothes on his back he'd give her everything.

"He was never gonna stop coming after me," she told him. "This was the only way I could find to build a case against him, to get to the people whose lives he's ruined like mine. Like ours," she added, seeing the flash of devastation as he realized Hiram really was the reason their daughter was dead.

It shouldn't have been a surprise, Lodge had taken everything from Lane of course he'd taken her too. And instead of being there Sweet Pea left Lane to do this on her own, like he always did. "Minetta was supposed to keep an eye on him while you were gone," he said piecing little things together. The one behind him, that he just buried, he left that one alone.

She nodded grabbing his phone out of his pocket and replacing her number with the one to the phone she now had, because her old phone was beside the bathtub where the waitress was drowned. Another incriminating piece of evidence to stack against Hiram, and if by some minor miracle Minetta wasn't actually dead then the rest of her plan really would come to fruition. "Half the deal was he'd keep an eye on you guys," she said looking up at Sweet Pea, seeing his small nod as he agreed to keep her informed on the rest of the Serpents but mostly Fangs and Cheryl. "I'll also need you to follow up on any leads, you can take Fangs if you want but you can't tell him anything. Jughead and Archie will have something, I'll see if I can't find them. I followed Hiram the other day to the Sister's of Quiet Mercy he's got some deal there, Betty'll have that when she gets out. Veronica's closest to him, she might have something too."  
Sweet Pea nodded hearing that while he'd been mourning her she'd been working, while he'd been playing the game and screwing around with Josie she'd been working. The only one getting shit done. "Keep me updated, I'll call when I have to be in or near town, let me know where he is." She didn't know how to say goodbye, she didn't know how to do this with him anymore. So she reached a hand to his arm, awkwardly, and she stepped back turning away.

Your love was never gonna save me, that's what she'd told him. She was choosing death, she'd done enough to deserve it. Loving her wasn't going to save her, but maybe it would be enough to change her mind. She didn't make it far before his hand fastened around her arm pulling her back around to face him, and he looked down at her with a thought too big for him to ever say aloud or for her to ever let herself hear. So he kissed her. Not hard or demanding, not filled with too much fractured emotion that they couldn't stand it. It was soft, timid, like it was the first time. Like they were falling in love.

The breath stilled in her lungs at the shock of it, and she sighed at the tender familiarity as her hands came around the back of his neck pulling him closer. For a moment, just a moment, she felt like herself again. But her hands slid down his shoulders to his chest gently pushing him back. "I already told you," she said in a soft voice.

"I know," he told her, thinking this was the softest she'd been to him in months. God he'd missed her. "You don't have time to love me, but I do." He saw how hard that hit her, that he'd been right in thinking she didn't fully know he loved her still. Then he hit her again. "And I already told you, we end this together."

A breath of an unamused laugh escaped her and she let her head hang, standing so close to him it fell to his chest. "Why do you have to make everything so hard on me," she said thinking this was so much easier without him. Without his feelings to consider, and her stupid ones. With an aggrieved sigh she pushed him back. "I have to go."

"Where?" he asked feeling her fingers slip around his, not ready to let him go yet. He didn't like knowing she'd be on her own, he knew how dark her mind got and she was in a worse place now.

Squeezing his hand she made herself let go and she wrapped her arms around herself in place of him. "I'll be back," she assured him, in a tone that sounded mildly annoyed. "But first, I have to find an old friend."

.^.

It took her a day to get there and at least a couple hour hike before she finally noticed the way the trees thinned, of a collection of underbrush that was hiding a car beneath it. Casting her eyes about she found the signs of a lightly worn trail, the way Minetta had taught her, and she followed it several hundred feet before the sunlight gleamed on a very thin line that ran only inches above the ground. A tripwire.

Minetta told her about these, he told her a lot of things, and she followed it on either side seeing it'd been set as a perimeter. Which meant it was less likely to trigger an explosion and more likely to be the first line of an alarm system.

So she tripped it and continued on, just barely making out an old cabin at the top of the hill she was climbing. She scanned the trees around her as she climbed higher, her chest aching as she nearly heaved, catching sight of motion detecting lights that were more for night, a couple cameras. He knew she was there.

It was so utterly quiet in those woods that she heard the door open, heard his boots as he stepped out on the porch, she swore she heard the skin of his palms unsticking from the rifle as he shifted his hold on it. She stopped at the foot of the stairs that led to the house and stood looking up at a tall man with a weathered face and long sandy brown hair. "Hey," she said out of breath as she reached a hand to wipe the sweat from her brow.

A wry smile pulled at his mouth as he leaned the rifle against the outer wall of the house, his green eyes fixed on her achingly familiar face. In a gruff voice Tall Boy greeted her, "hey kid."

* * *

 _Since I'm taking free reign from here and deviating more from the show, you bet your ass I brought Tall Boy back (and I've been waiting for this since the start of the season!) I might include a few more details from upcoming episodes, or I might dislike it even more than I already do and just wrap the story up. Either way, I'm thinking I've only got about 5 chapters (give or take one) left._

 _And after this terrible chapter you might be wondering how Lane could possibly come back, or if like Lane you're wondering if she should even be allowed to come back, you guys technically already know where she's gonna go (it is a place) you just don't realize you know. And that is my only hint for what is coming._

 _I'm still working on my alternate version of this story, With your Arms Like Towers - that one will follow the show more, it's a little more lighthearted (for those following it you know Lane just got out of a very traumatic situation). You can check that out if you're interested._

 _Otherwise, I'll see ya'll at some point in nearish future._


	39. Chapter 39

_I know I said I was gonna watch a little more of the show, but honestly the thought of having to continue this story in line with the show was making me heavily consider killing Lane. So I decided to just do my own thing and give Lane a better ending._

* * *

They sat at his table in his cabin nursing a stiff drink as Lane detailed everything that'd happened in the last six and a half months, and she said it all in a bland emotionless voice as she stared with vacant eyes at the glass in her hand. He had a feeling when he first saw her as he let her in, but hearing how empty she was he knew she wasn't okay. That she may never be. "I should've taken you with me," he said quietly, his eyes filled with regretful mourning.

"You knew I wouldn't leave," she sighed knowing that herself. Ultimately it was her choice to stay, everything that followed was on her alone.

But Tall Boy shook his head. "If I'd taken Fangs you would've." He saw something in her eyes break at the thought of that life, living here with him and Fangs and her daughter. It was a simple life, but it was it was a good one.

Tossing back the whiskey left in her glass she held it out to him to top her off again, and she took a long burning gulp of that as well. "At some point we would've come back, because I'll never be able to leave, and I'd be in the exact same position. So," she swallowed thickly as she raised her glass to him as though to toast, "here's to taking that bastard down."

On the table Lane laid out everything she'd collected against Hiram Lodge the last couple weeks since her death. Some pieces were more incriminating than others, one key piece of evidence would've been enough had it been anyone other than Hiram. But Lane knew a few records, a recorded phone call, Tall Boy, and a few pictures of the Wyrm being a cook site wasn't enough. Not yet. She needed a mountain to smother him under so there'd be no hope he could ever get out from underneath it.

This is why she needed Sweet Pea, originally Minetta because he was closer to Hiram and had access to more incriminating evidence but Lane was working with what she had. She was on her way back to town in Tall Boy's car when Sweet Pea called her with what he'd found on Claudius. "Meet me at our place, I'll have the door open."

He parked around back of the hotel several miles out of town that she and Sweet Pea had come to the first time she played dead, and a few other times they'd come just to get away for a few days when they wanted to be alone together.

The door was held open by the bolt and Sweet Pea slowly pushed it open and released a breath at seeing Lane standing by the table looking over what she'd brought. "Did you pay for the room?" he asked shutting and bolting the door behind him.

"I picked the lock," she answered without turning around. She didn't wanna see him as much as she did, the stomach twisting need to turn around and see his stupid face. So she kept her eyes on the folder in front of her, telling her racing heart to knock it off before she had a heart attack. But everything stopped at the light touch of his hand on her waist, her heart her breathing her mind, all of it froze as he came up behind her burying his nose in her hair. She wormed out of his grasp and took a large step away from him feeling a horrible knot in her stomach that made her feel sick. "What'd you find?"

Seeing her still took his breath away, having honestly thought he'd lost her. But he looked down at her shifting eyes that wouldn't meet his, the heavy rise and fall of her chest, the way she swallowed. It'd been a while since they were this nervous around each other, all this want and need between them that they didn't know what to do with. Even his own stomach was filled with knots.

So he cleared his throat deciding her way for now was easier. "You were right, that guy was delivering drugs," he answered. Lane had been following Hiram for at least a couple weeks, she'd seen him at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy and she'd seen Claudius Blossom delivering something. The first thing Lane asked him to do was figure out where those shipments were coming from, so Sweet Pea talked to Cheryl – who wanted nothing to do with him because he reminded her of Lane – and followed Claudius from his house to Southside High. "He's turned the place into a drug factory," he said still bitter over that.

Lane stood scrolling through the pictures he'd taken on his phone and her eyes widened at one seeing a familiar man in a dark suit. He jumped at her slapping his chest but she was too caught up to notice. "You got Hiram at the school," she said hearing how loud her voice was in her excitement, "next to Claudius and a box of drugs." This was more than she'd thought she'd get out of this, she thought she'd have to find some way to link Claudius to Hiram because Hiram could always say he had no idea what was going on there – she had the proof he knew exactly what was happening. "I could kiss you," she said, her eyes back on Hiram's zoomed in face clear as day.

"Do it then."

Her mind turned over realizing what she'd said and his response to it, and she looked up at him with wide vulnerable eyes as her mouth ran dry. She looked like a fish gulping for air as her mouth opened and closed. "No," she was finally able to get out. "We ha-," his eyes darkened as her throat constricted and she turned away trying to get a hold of herself. "Just, no," she said taking several steps toward the door. "We have more important things to do than,"

He grabbed her arm forcing her to turn back to him, wrapping a hand around the back of her head to keep her against him. "You love me," he said without an ounce of doubt.

"I let you go," she told him firmly, looking up at him with shining eyes.

But he shook his head not buying that for a second. "No you didn't."

"I convinced you to," she said, her voice beginning to break.

Everything she'd done and said, how horrible she'd been to him, she'd done it in effort to make him let her go. He knew that now. "You really almost did." The only reason it hadn't worked is because Hiram got rid of Minetta leaving Lane to turn to him, and now he knew the reason behind her cruelty. "But I'm here, you can't keep pushing me away," he said even as she held her hands against his chest trying to physically push him away.

She'd tried so hard to make him give up on her, it all but destroyed her and without him she honestly didn't know who she was, but she couldn't do this again. "Let me go," she said trying to get away from him. "I'm not doing this."

"You love me," he told her again.

"Yeah but I'm not stupid," she said, and this time when she shoved against him he let her out of his grasp as he tried to comprehend those words. "We both know if you were dating Josie you wouldn't be here now." She took a shaky breath trying to calm herself down, to keep from saying anything too mean because she still needed him. "I'm not gonna let you break my heart again."

He stared with wide pained eyes that fell from hers in shame, feeling like the world had dropped out from under him. Because he finally understood it was never about Josie – he'd tried so hard to convince himself he didn't really love Lane because he thought it'd make it hurt less, but he never once considered he might be convincing Lane too. And he could see that in her eyes, he'd been seeing it, she loved him as desperately as she always had and she'd done everything she could to get him to let her go. Fangs was right, this one was all on him.

So he gave her the space she needed even though he wanted to hold her, he wanted to squeeze her tight enough to feel how goddamn much he loved her. All he had to give her were words, and they weren't enough, sorry wasn't fixing this. "I know you're not gonna believe me saying that even if you'd come back in ten years I'd still be here," he found it hard to look at her again so his eyes fell to the carpet. "And I know that's my fault. So," he cleared his throat and forced himself to meet her eyes, seeing beneath her confusion was something very fragile too afraid to want anything from him, "I'm here for whatever you need."

She wasn't ready to believe that yet, mostly because her mind was stuck in the short term and the possibility that this wasn't going to work, that she might die, that there might not be a long term so wanting anything now was pointless. So she stuck with her plan, because they were only things that made sense to her. "You're gonna stake out Southside High the next twenty-four hours, see when it's least populated so we can plan when to break in. I have a lead I'm gonna follow. Take Fangs you can sleep in shifts, and we'll meet here tomorrow night."

"You gonna be alright on your own?" he asked never knowing what she was doing, how close she was getting. He worried.

"I won't be alone."

With a short nod he stepped toward the door, which happened to be towards her, and he stopped next to her with his hands curling and uncurling into fists as he thought of hugging or kissing her. Something. But nothing seemed right, this all felt so new like they weren't the same people. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said and even he heard his voice raise at the end like he was asking. He hated how desperate he sounded, but he didn't know if he could handle her disappearing again.

She looked at his disgruntled earnest face feeling as uncomfortably unfamiliar with this as he did. "I'll be there," she assured him. And he gave a curt nod before he charged out of the room, broad-shouldered and dark eyed, and she sighed leaning her back against the wall wishing he was still there.

"How long's that been?" Tall Boy asked as he came in from the room next door. Those two had been inseparable as long as he remembered, even before they liked each other they'd been in synch. And it was clear from the tension and the anger and the quiet desperation they clearly wanted to be together, they were both just so pigheaded.

"Too long," Lane answered. Since the beginning of May, it was now almost Halloween and that felt like forever. "Come on, we've got more important things to do," she said trying to escape from his question as much as she was her own thoughts.

.^.

The sun was starting to set when Tall Boy pulled into the back lot of the empty, out of the way motel. "Alright," he told Lane when they were parked beside Sweet Pea's bike. "Go see your boy, I'm gonna grab something to eat and wait for you tell me if I'm coming back tonight."

Lane rolled her eyes at the suggestion she'd spend the night with Sweet Pea, that anything would ever be that easy. They had a long way to go and neither of them would take the first step, which meant they wouldn't go anywhere. "Watch it or I'll make you sleep in the car out of spite," she said hearing his deep chuckle as she climbed out.

The door wasn't held open like she'd done it yesterday and so she knocked and waited as he let her in. She glanced at him noticing he was wearing a nice blue colored flannel, which was her favorite on him. Stepping further into the room her eyes landed on the small round table in the corner and she paused at the takeout bag and candle that was lit in the center. "Wha-hmm," she hummed as her voice failed, and she cleared her throat feeling her stomach drop as every inch of her flushed. "What is that?"

She turned to where he stood behind her but his hand caught her shoulder forcing her to face away from him. "Don't, um," he swallowed, "I can't do this if I have to look at you." He wondered if she could feel the shaking in his palm as he held her arm, he was nervous. "It doesn't work when we try to make this what it used to be, you know we're," he swallowed again, "we're not who we used to be. So I thought," he took a steadying breath not remembering it being this hard before, "maybewecanstartover." He said that all in one breath, the words getting jumbled together until they were something unrecognizable.

But she understood and she blinked away any tears that so much as thought of springing up because she wasn't crying over this. "Okay," she said on a soft breath.

It took him a few seconds to understand she agreed, he'd been berating himself knowing she'd turn him down, to keep this professional. "Okay," he repeated, his mind slow to kick into gear. He pulled the chair out for her, waiting for her to slide in before he came around and sat across from her.

She took the container he offered to find it was her favorite pasta from her favorite restaurant, it had her mouth watering to the point she reached for the plastic cup he'd filled with soda and took a drink.

Neither one of them knew what to start with, they'd been together as long as they'd been apart, they knew too much and there was too much weighing on them. He took a bigger drink than she did. "So um," he started wishing this wasn't as hard as it felt, "I know you're from Riverdale but what about your parents?" It was the first thing he'd thought to ask and he couldn't remember why he didn't know that answer.

"Neither of them were," Lane said chewing the lukewarm bread he'd gotten, and she swallowed before answering further. "My dad's family came here from Israel when he was young and my mom's from Guadalajara, she came at the start of high school."

Sweet Pea nodded as his brows slowly drew together, realizing something he'd never known about her. "Wait, you're a firstborn American?" he asked staring hard at her as she nodded, taking a bite of her pasta. "How did I not know that?"

She raised a shoulder unbothered and answered simply, "if it wasn't in your face or Serpent related, you usually didn't ask about me." It's how it was with all of the Serpents really, even Fangs, none of them really knew her outside of the gang.

There had been no accusation in her tone she'd stated it matter of fact like she did everything else, but it still hurt him because he knew it was true. He could remember telling her about his parents, about first joining the Serpents. She'd found him sketching once when he was bored, before they started dating, and she'd looked through a lot of them silently before declaring them good. He'd pointed out a few of the tags he'd done on buildings to the point she'd recognize his art and ask if it was his, it always was because she paid attention. Yet there he sat asking for a second chance and he couldn't think of a single thing she liked to do, and he'd lived with her.

His eyes were on his plate but he was staring unhappily, and she sat with her cup in hand having been about to take a drink when she noticed how upset that made him. Seeing the effort he was making warmed the cold in her bones. "Good thing this is only the first date then," she told him.

He looked up to see something almost soft in her eyes, her face was still hard but those pretty green eyes. His mouth twitched over a shy smile as he raised his cup to hers, the plastic making a faint thud before they both took a drink. "I regret not getting tequila," he admitted, thinking that would've eased his nerves a bit.

"We're terrible drunks," Lane reminded him.

Sitting back he looked at her across the table and shook his head. "We were our best selves when we were drunk," he corrected, and she smirked faintly folding her arms across the table waiting for his proof. "You found the meaning of fun every time you drank – you'd dance all night. Topless if I let you, which I obviously always did," he said with a sly grin as she pressed her lips together.

"You'd shoot bottle rockets at two in the morning," she added, licking her faintly smiling lips. "And, I would laugh as the neighbors came out yelling." She'd forgotten how much fun they used to have and the memory of Toni, who'd been dead asleep at the time, storming out of her trailer and chasing them back into Sweet Pea's, snuck up on Lane enough that she chuckled lightly.

She made the mistake of meeting Sweet Pea's dancing eyes and they both dissolved into laughter as he recounted the time FP had come out yelling at the top of his lungs about it shaking his window. It wasn't so hard after that, the stories and memories came easier, they added new ones. They talked and they talked, both their dinners were disgustingly cold by the time they remembered to eat. It was familiar in way that felt like home, but it was new in a way that didn't overwhelm them too fast. Like a blanket on a cold day they wanted to snuggle further in.

With the food in the trash they pulled their chairs around the table to sit next to one another, both consciously aware of the way their legs were pressed together as they looked over Sweet Pea's notes. She could see in the change of writing where Fangs took over, he saw her brush the pad of her index finger over it as though she could feel him.

"So 3 A.M is the quietest in terms of people going in and out," Lane said burying her want to see Fangs until she had time for it, which wouldn't be until this was over. "I think I speak for us both in saying we'll sleep tonight and hit it tomorrow."

He nodded as he stifled another yawn. "What'd you find today?" he asked. It was the first time he'd asked for details others than the ones he needed, asking to be her partner in this rather than just a piece she needed on her board.

She was quiet several moments, long enough he was starting to take that as being her answer, but she finally convinced herself to let him in. Not out of need, but because she wanted to. "I followed him a week ago to this town, it was so…" she paused thinking of an adequate enough word for the devastation she and Tall Boy had found, "ruined. He owns it of course. Turns out it was his first trial of the drugs, I'm pretty sure it's what he's doing here. But he's got this girl's brother as a way of manipulating her, he's got a lot of their kids in the Sisters where he has to be using the patients as guinea pigs."

She got lost in her own thoughts and wondering of what his end goal was, but this was all new to Sweet Pea so he picked the information he at least understood. "You've been gathering witnesses." About a week before Lane's 'death' Fangs had made an idle comment that Lane hadn't been home much, and she hadn't been in school – she and Minetta had planned this down to a T. Other than the variables they couldn't control they'd executed it flawlessly, and he absolutely hated that he'd left Lane to rely on someone else who'd done a better job than he ever could've.

"She wasn't planned," Lane admitted, and she didn't really trust the woman who'd almost given Archie up to Hiram. But she was desperate to get her brother back and Lane made a compelling case for why Hiram would never let that happen, and all Lane asked of her was to give a statement when the time came so the police could get her brother out of the halfway house. "But she makes a good addition. Tomorrow's the last thing I need," Lane said adding it all up in her head. She had every piece of evidence, every witness, assigned a number and she added them all – it was finally enough.

He met her eyes when she turned to him seeing the faint edge of worry turning the corners of her mouth down in a severe frown. "What happens then?" he asked not thinking it'd come so soon. Not realizing faking her death was part of the final stages, rather than the start.

If it was possible to be terrified and at ease with what was coming then Lane was both. "I turn him in," she stated like it was that simple, like she didn't have that planned out as well. "When he realizes he can't get out of this he'll take me down with him, depending on what they find it might work." She didn't know that part, and to be honest she wasn't sure she cared. Part of her wanted to take the fall for some of it just so she could look at herself in the mirror again, but then the other part of her was here with Sweet Pea and he did what he'd always done to her in that he made her want a better life.  
She looked at his unhappy face and reached a hand to his knee patting it almost affectionately. "Go get some sleep, if you don't wanna risk tomorrow you don't have to." He wasn't obligated to her, she wanted to tell him because she knew she'd made him feel that way a few times, but she'd never been good with saying what she felt.

His answer was to lean against her pressing a kiss to her cheek, and he heard the breath she took in surprise. "This might be forward, but I'd like to take you on a second date tomorrow." She blinked up at him realizing he really wasn't going anywhere, and he grinned down at her. "Pretty smooth right?" he asked mostly joking, and she rolled her eyes shoving him lightly as she fought the smile pulling at her mouth. "I mean, this was a good first date but I've had better." He smirked at the hard look she shot at him. "Last year I took out the most frustrating person I'd ever met, but she looked sexy as hell in this tight black shirt that hung off her shoulders. She's got the sexiest collarbones." Lane smacked his chest as a laugh snuck out of her. "She was pretty easy though, put out the first night."

Her face was split wide with a smile as she laughed, feeling him reach a hand on either side of her head with his thumbs grazing her round cheeks as she looked up at him warm eyes. "You're such an ass," she said sounding in that brief moment something close to happy. The first she'd felt of that in half a year.

He stared down at her open face and her bright eyes and her pretty smile, it was almost like going back in time. "There you are," he softly said, "I remember you." He felt her small hand wrap around his as she leaned into him, finding the her she thought she'd lost in him. "Can I stay?" he asked on a quiet breath. Not a fiber in him could fathom leaving her now. He met her wide scared eyes when she looked up at him, wanting more than she was ready for. "I just wanna hold you," he told her wanting nothing else.

She nodded feeling like her chest wasn't big enough for the way it swelled, she never wanted him to leave. He'd break her heart by the end of this, she always knew he would.

They moved further up on the bed and he laid back holding an arm out to her and she settled against his side with her head on his shoulder. It'd been so long, it was awkward as the seconds passed and they held their bodies around each other stiffly. But a breath passed between them and she turned into him curling herself against his side with her head on his chest, and he shifted more towards her as he wrapped her in his arms burying his face in her hair. And just like that their pieces fell into place.

.^.

They made quick work of sneaking into Southside High through a dark window. Sweet Pea watched Lane's back while she photographed everything from the actual lab to the shipment boxes filled with bags of Fizzle Rocks, she'd even nabbed a bag to bring in for evidence. An hour and a half they were back in the hotel room, just like Lane planned.

She added it to everything else she'd gotten on him, and she counted it all in her head going over each one, and she let out a breath as a sense of calm filled her knowing tomorrow was it. Everything she'd worked for, everything she lost, finally the end had come.

Turning around she saw Sweet Pea standing with two plastic flute glasses he'd picked up from the store along with the champagne they'd had for New Years that she really liked. "I was gonna save it for tomorrow but you might be arrested too. Besides, today's more fitting anyways."

"Why's that?" Lane asked, finding it unsettling to be celebrating early. As if she was asking Hiram to get out of this.

But one corner of his mouth was curled as he stared down at her cautious face. "It's the day you came to the Southside," he answered.

She blinked in stunned silence at his remembering that, because she hadn't. Her mind had been too busy for it to ever cross it. "The day we first met."

"I wasn't gonna say it like that," he said with a shrug. Thinking about it now, it felt like they'd lived a lifetime in just this one year. And now they were back where they started, falling in love. He raised his glass to hers and she tapped it against his before they both brought their glasses to their smiling lips for a drink. "And to keep up this sappy shit," he said catching a flash of her teeth because she appreciated him being as bad at this as she was, "I did a lot of searching but," he pulled out his phone and set it on the dresser along with his glass, "I found the first song we ever danced to."

A soft sweet guitar filled the room and Lane's face first smoothed in surprise before it brightened in recognition as she looked up at Sweet Pea, hearing the woman whose voice was thick like syrup begin to sing.

Every part of him was filled with her, and for the first time in months he didn't feel empty, as if this is what had been missing. "Can I have this dance?" he asked holding his hand out to her.

She set her own glass down before fitting her hand into his feeling his other wrap around her back, and they swayed together gently. Their eyes warm and full of love as they gazed at each other. He spun her as the song picked up and when she came back around she settled against his chest with her face upturned to his, and with his lowered so that his mouth was pressed against her forehead, their eyes closed in sweet bliss.

The song drew to an end and they stayed that way for a while longer breathing each other in like they'd been gone a long time and had only now just come back. Their eyes opened and they looked at each other and released what felt like the same breath as they moved together with him bending and her rising to find the other's lips. Getting his arms around her he lifted her off the ground feeling her legs curl around him as her hands wound in his hair, and he stepped toward the bed lowering himself to his knees before he settled on top of her. He pulled back and he caught his breath, feeling the rise and fall of her chest beneath him as she caught hers, and wordlessly they came to the same understanding that they both wanted this. So he kissed her again, and again, over and again. Until their clothes were on the floor and they were a trembling mess as they clung to each other, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes as they gathered in his threatening to spill.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered in a broken breath.

He ran a hand over her hair as he hovered over her, the tip of his nose brushing her brow. "I know baby," he told her kissing away her tears. Kissing her forgiven.

.^.

There was a car parked across the center of the back road blocking it, and the man driving the sleek black car Hiram sat in the back of slowed to a stop. "Do you want me to turn around, sir?" the driver asked.

Hiram's eyes turned to stone at the sight of the tall man with the long hair standing in front of the car, clearly waiting for him. "No, he's here to talk. Make sure you've got a hold on your weapon," Hiram ordered as he climbed out of the car to address the man who'd gone to such lengths to see him. "Mr Petite, I'd ask to what I owe the pleasure but I'm sure it's the girl." Because no matter how close he got to succeeding, no matter that she was dead, she was still the cause behind everything.  
Tall Boy didn't give a response, he also didn't uncross his arms. He was a silent glowering tree blocking his path and Hiram didn't have the patience. "I wish I could take credit for her demise, but I honestly had nothing to do with her death." Which was a shame, he would've liked the pride at having been the cause.

"I know," Tall Boy replied gruffly. As Hiram's brows drew together Tall Boy stepped aside revealing the short young woman at his back who cocked the rifle in her hands and drew her aim in the center of Hiram's chest. The driver stepped away from Hiram and climbed back in the car before driving away, leaving him as Tall Boy had told him to.

For a moment he was shocked senseless as he found himself looking at her face, at realizing he had in fact seen her that day on the street and she'd probably paid someone that sort of looked like her to step in. She would've enjoyed riling him up. But it was just a moment, then he seethed. "Do you honestly think," the crack of gunfire choked him and he was left gritting his teeth with his ears ringing as Lane pumped another round in the chamber.

"This can go one of two ways," she told him.

He sneered and derisively asked, "is one of them the easy way?"

"No," she stated simply, watching the way his face straightened as he remembered who he was dealing with. "I turn you in along with everything I've found, or I kill you right now. It's your choice, Mr H, I really don't care." After all she'd gone through there was no way she'd give him something as easy as death, but he didn't know that.

Taking a moment to consider her offer, and her burning eyes, he smirked shaking his head. "Turn me in, I'll enjoy the look on your face as you lose before you finally die."

It was Lane whose mouth partially curled in a smirk. "I was hoping you'd say that," she said as Tall Boy dialed Sheriff Keller, who'd been reinstated only a few days ago, and let him know they had Hiram Lodge under citizen's arrest.

Hiram was fuming by the time Sheriff Keller arrived, having enough time to consider his first words to the Sheriff. He'd play the victim of a mad suicidal girl who'd gone so far as to fake her own death. She really had written his lines for him.

"Put the gun down Lane," Keller told her, and she complied immediately. "Tell me what's going on."

She nodded to Tall Boy and he moved around Hiram's other side so he'd have no easy exits should he try to run. "You want the worst of it or the long version?" she asked letting him decide.

Taking a breath he thought a moment before sighing, turning hard eyes on the accused man who was just now realizing what exactly Lane had done. "With this one, better be the long one."

He swallowed his fury as he glared severely at Lane, who wore an emotionless mask not even allowing herself to feel smug. In that moment he knew she'd gotten enough to stick to him, she was too smart to get anything less – and instead of going to the police to arrest him directly, giving him time to clear out the more incriminating pieces, she'd taken him by surprise. She really was a clever little bitch.

Lane outlined everything she had in the car to use against him: her copies of the records she'd gotten from the Warden's office with the fightclub, the money laundering. She had Toni's original film showing the Ghoulies using the Wyrm as a cooksite, she had Minetta's bank account information and had highlighted every deposit wired to him from the offshore account Hiram used to pay for the jobs Minetta had done for him. She had the film reel of everything she'd found the last week from the desolated town to his meeting with the head Sister as Claudius Blossom dropped off a shipment, along with the pictures Sweet Pea took of Hiram at Southside High with Claudius next to a box of drugs, and then finally what she'd found in Southside High including the baggie of drugs she'd taken. But the best of it all was the weapon Minetta used to kill the Shadow Lake crew, along with a recording of the call Hiram made ordering Minetta to kill them. Along with the woman who'd been pulled from the river, Lane had gone back to that house and had taken pictures of the chair she'd been tied to as she was drugged, of her hair in the bathtub where she'd been drowned – this house which was under Hiram's name, killed by a man already proven to be working under Hiram's orders.

"I even know how he's causing the seizures," Lane added, having gotten this plan directly from Hiram himself who'd made the mistake of ever letting her near him. "He was going to use them to convince the governor to order a townwide quarantine."

Keller took that all in stride, which was about the only way to take it. He turned to Hiram who was staring at Lane with a sick hateful pride. "Anything you wanna add?" When Hiram kept his mouth shut, waiting for his lawyer, Keller nodded before cuffing him in the back of his cruiser and reading him his rights. Shutting the door he walked over to where Lane was waiting with Tall Boy. "You know he's gonna come after you, have most of the evidence thrown out from the way it was gathered. There's a list of charges against you that goes with this."

"I know," Lane admitted. "But it's enough to get warrants to Southside High, the Sister's of Quiet Mercy, and my old house before he can call anyone to destroy evidence. That's what's gonna get him." She knew there was no way to take him down without falling herself, and she could live with that.

Keller took the box of evidence and had Lane and Tall Boy follow him back to the station, but Tall Boy pulled up in front of it and grabbed her arm keeping her in the car with him a moment longer. "You know I'm not gonna let this happen."

"Tall Boy," she sighed, having honestly accepted it.

But he wouldn't have it. "You let me do this," he told her firmly, meeting her pale green eyes with his darker green ones. "I owe you at least this much." He reached a hand to her wet cheek wishing so much he'd taken her that day when she was ten, raised her away from all this so she wouldn't know this pain. "But you gotta promise me one thing."

…

Sweet Pea and Fangs were going through some of Lane's things, Fangs pretending he didn't know Sweet Pea was in contact with Lane based solely on his good mood the last week. But today was different, sadder. He was looking for her warmth instead of glowing with it, which meant he was losing her. And he wouldn't answer Fangs no matter how times he asked, no matter how he begged.

The door opened and both boys turned and jumped to their feet at the sight of Lane, standing in the doorway looking dazed. "Oh baby girl," Fangs exclaimed in a breathy voice as he stumbled to her and gathered her against him. Even knowing, deep down, she wasn't really dead the thought that she might be had always lingered. So he held her like she was the only thing keeping him afloat.

"I didn't mean for it to be like this," she said as her hands gathered his shirt in her fists refusing to ever let him go. She hadn't been gone nearly long enough for it to feel this good at being back, but she was about to be.

He kissed her cheek every few seconds as if to remind himself she was there. "I know you didn't," he told her. "But I can be mad at you later." He was too busy being happy she was alive.

"What happened?" Sweet Pea asked seeing on her morose face something was wrong.

Fangs let her go and she ran a hand through her hair. "Tall Boy took the fall for everything," she answered in a quiet, far away, voice. All the evidence she'd collected, murdering her father under Hiram's orders, killing the three men Hiram sent after her, the waitress: all of it. Hiram had nothing to use against her.

"But?" Sweet Pea asked as he stepped closer to her, his hands rising to hold her arms as she stared up at him.

"When you weren't here I was still seeing the neurologist," she said and he nodded vaguely remembering the man who saw her in the hospital after she first woke. "He recommended psychiatric rehabilitation, and Tall Boy wants me to admit myself. At least that way Hiram can't get to me during his trial. So," she brushed her hair back again, not really comprehending what she was saying yet, "I guess I'm gonna pack a bag."

She reached a hand to Sweet Pea's chest as though to hold him before she made her way into what used to be her bedroom, and maybe still was. Fangs stared after her wide eyed before asking Sweet Pea, "when did that happen?" pointing between him and the room Lane was in. Last Fangs knew they still couldn't talk to each other.

"It's been a long week," Sweet Pea sighed slumping back on the couch. He wasn't getting her back, not yet. But he had to admit it might be what she needed to get better.

Knowing Lane needed a moment to breathe Fangs joined him on the cough even though he'd rather be at her side where he could see her. They were quiet not really knowing what to say, if there was anything even to say. But the sound of an engine turning over as it started had both boys looking at each other. "Wanna bet it's Lane."

They moved to the window to see Lane pulling out of the driveway in Tall Boy's car, and Sweet Pea sighed grabbing the keys to Lane's. "I know where she's going." They were only a few minutes behind her as they pulled up to Thornhill.

Inside Cheryl stood with her arms around Lane tight enough to leave bruises as she cried. "You didn't say goodbye," Cheryl said wanting to be furious with Lane for having done this to her, after losing her brother. She was so angry, but she was so utterly relieved to be holding Lane alive and well.

"I was still here," Lane told her as she squeezed her just as tight.

Pulling away far enough only to see Lane's face Cheryl asked, "does this mean you're back?"

"Not yet," she answered reaching a hand to dry Cheryl's wet cheeks. Because it was Cheryl, the only person she'd ever been able to be her worst with, she was able to finally admit it. "I need help." And saying that out loud Lane knew she did, and there was almost a sense of relief at knowing help was coming. "Ask Sweet Pea later, if phones are allowed he'll have the number."

Cheryl nodded, and Lane opened her mouth to say how sorry she was again. "Say it when you're back," Cheryl quickly said before Lane could get a word out. And with her hands cupping Lane's face she stared hard at her and told her, "you just come back." Seeing Lane's nod Cheryl hugged her again, getting a proper yet still painful goodbye.

Giving Toni a quick hug Lane followed the boys back outside to her old car, and Fangs held the passenger's side door open for her to climb in while he took the back. It wasn't long into the drive that Lane realized they weren't headed in the right direction, it wasn't much longer than that before she understood where Sweet Pea was taking her. He parked on the side of the road and she looked out the window at the open field Lane had picked to bury the ashes of her daughter, because there were birds here and deer and she hadn't wanted her daughter to be alone.

He came around the side of her car and opened the door. "Why are we here?" she asked, her eyes already shining.

Instead of answering he held a hand out to her, she hesitated before taking it and he helped her out of the car before they walked together to the place they'd buried they daughter. The tree sapling they buried her with had sprouted up to Lane's knees, and her knees were shaking threatening to crumble. With a gentle hand under her chin he tilted her face up so he could see her, so she could see him when he finally told her what she'd desperately needed to hear. "This was not your fault," he said in a slow quiet voice, his own eyes too full of tears he'd stopped shedding. "You are not the reason she died." Her face remained placid and unfeeling but tears leaked freely from her broken eyes. He got his hands around her arms and he squeezed tighter than he meant but she needed to feel him. "I need you to say it, you're never gonna believe it if you can't say it."

Her jaw ached from how hard she clenched her teeth, her eyes so watery she couldn't actually see him. But she could hear him, she could feel the hold he had on her. Four words, it was simple she could do it. She opened her mouth but what came out was the drugged confession she'd given Cheryl a few hours after she first woke; "I didn't get up."

Nothing she did or how cruel she'd been could ever break his heart more than that. "Lane," he breathed, wondering how he hadn't seen it sooner. How no one had, she'd been left with so much hatred for herself it overflowed onto other people.

"I didn't get up," she said again. Four words, they'd been on the tip of her tongue every second of every day, and nothing she did could ever make them go away; so she stopped feeling, and they were still there. But she let them go now, she let it go. "I was lying there, and she was crying, and I," her shoulders shook as she tried to breathe, "I closed my eyes." And now she was dead.

His hands moved higher on her arms til he was squeezing her shoulders, staring down at her broken face hearing her sobbing in her breathing. "That isn't your fault," he told her. "Lane, you were so hurt. You did everything right, she just," he found it hard to breathe as if saying it would kill him, "she just died." Her head fell to his chest as she wept and he wrapped his arms around her feeling his own tears hot on his cheeks. "It's not your fault," he said softly one more time.

"It's not my f-" her voice broke at the end. After the accident it was like she'd been left gathering the broken pieces of herself fitting them back into place, slowly but surely, getting them all back. Except this one, she'd been holding this one for so long so tight it'd cut her hands and she'd been bleeding everywhere. But she finally let it go, she put it back in its place so she could finally heal.

He sank to his knees with her holding her as she cried, crying with her as she mourned. Even after the sobbing turned to silent tears they stayed together holding each other the way a dying man held onto his last breath.

Gathering herself in some semblance of together she turned in his arms so that she sat in his lap with her back to his chest, his arms around her and her hands holding his. Fall was thinking about winter so the air was chilled, but it was quiet and peaceful. "We'll have a picnic one day when you're back, we'll see how big she is," Sweet Pea promised pressing a tender kiss to her cheek. And Lane nodded because she didn't trust herself to speak, but she liked the sound of that. It sounded like hope.

She climbed to her feet and turned holding a hand out to him, without hesitation he took it and stood with her a moment before they walked back to the car. Fangs made quick work of getting himself together, wiping what was left on his wet cheeks as he sat back.

Two quiet hours later, mostly spent listening to the radio as Lane laid her head on Sweet Pea's shoulder and he sat with a hand around the top of her leg, they were parked outside of the psych rehab. Fangs held her tight trying to force all the love he had out of his body and into hers so she could carry it with her in the long months she'd be here.

"I love you," she told him.

He felt her words tickle the inside of his ear and he shivered pulling her closer. "I love you too." So goddamn much. Like a bandaid he let her go all at once because it was supposed to hurt less, and she reached a hand to his arm squeezing it before she turned to where Sweet Pea waited with her bag slung on his shoulder.

Sweet Pea held an arm out and she stepped against his side as he held her, feeling him kiss the top of her head as she looked up at the facility she was about to enter. For the first time in a year she wasn't worried about what came next. He met her eyes when she looked up at him. "Ready?" he asked gently. She nodded and his arm tightened around her as they headed inside.

* * *

 _So there's one more chapter after this, I don't think it'll be this long but by this point we all know how I get carried away. But, I do still have my alternate ending planned: so there's technically two more chapters. And then that's it for this one._


	40. Chapter 40

Lane Vivian's case was more difficult than Dr Ava Fields could've predicted with only the medical reports she'd been sent a couple months ago. Not only was she suffering a terrible loss she'd been under constant threat of death since the accident, tailoring her rehabilitation to fit her needs took time. Especially given how stubborn Lane was at helping herself.

But they got there, slowly but surely. They met frequently for interviews chipping away at the walls Lane had built around herself, getting to the root of the matter. Over the course of a few weeks Dr Fields came to understand this girl had needed help for years. "One of your greatest strengths is your ability to cope," Dr Fields told her during one of their interviews. And truly it was nothing short of amazing how well Lane was able to convince herself everything was fine. "However, your current methods are incredibly unhealthy overall and are causing you harm in the long term. Do you understand that?" she asked, because she'd said this yesterday and Lane had stormed out without a word.

Which happened often because Lane had little outlet when she was unhappy, but she always came back when she'd finally had time to think. She'd come back now, and she sat with her legs crossed playing with the end of her sweater as she nodded. "I'd like to work on finding some mechanisms that are really going to help with your current inability to connect with your emotions. A lot of them will be mental strategies," she heard Lane's sigh knowing she didn't like those, "but we'll discuss some of the things you said you liked to do. We don't have a shooting range," nor did she approve of Lane being anywhere near a gun yet, "but we do have a gym. We've got a wonderful guy who's really gonna help with releasing your aggression rather than fueling it. And," she said like it was exciting, "the most beneficial to you is gonna be your favorite thing."

Lane groaned dropping her head into her hands. "I hate group therapy," she whined more than said.

Dr Fields smiled with contrived sympathy, because she knew this was Lane's greatest weakness and it was also what hurt her the most. "Oh come on it's good for you," she said nudging her in the direction she needed to go. "And yesterday was the first day you didn't make someone cry. See, you're already making progress."

Lane looked at her kind weathered face and sighed slumping back in the chair. "You're never gonna give up on me, are you?" she asked wishing some days she would so she could just leave. But the more time she spent here, the fewer days she wished that.

"Nope."

Lane really wasn't used to that, and though she huffed like it bothered her she really was grateful. She just didn't know how to show it. "Fine," she grumbled relenting, like she inevitably always did.

One of the most important parts of rehabilitation, in Lane's case especially, was social support. She had the staff who she was able to trust and rely on, the patients she could relate to when she let herself, and the people waiting for her back home. Dr Fields learned pretty quickly there were four key people in Lane's life, Lane wasn't ready to get better for herself but she would get better for them.

Lane leaned against the wall holding the phone to her ear as she played with the metal cord it was attached to listening to Sweet Pea tell her about his day. She was allowed three phone calls a week and one visitor on Saturdays, she alternated between Sweet Pea Fangs Cheryl and Toni. Today was Sweet Pea's day, but this weekend was Cheryl's.

"How about you, anything new?" he asked because she had something new everyday. Usually small things, but Dr Fields had explained the routine itself was part of the treatment.

Lane was quiet a moment as she thought of everything that'd happened in the week since she last talked to him, because last weekend Fangs visited. She only saw him every four weeks, she really wanted to see him. "We did another brain scan, one lady really wants me to do synchronized swimming with her. To be honest, I'll probably do it," she said hearing his breath of a laugh on the other end. "And there's so much talking."

"The thing you hate most," Sweet Pea said with a faint smile. He talked to her for thirty minutes every Wednesday after school, and it was to the point every day was just another day closer to talking to her again. Tuesday was the worst and he barely slept the night before, but Wednesday was torture until he finally got home. And he was absolute wreck leading up to the day he got to see her.

Lane really did hate talking about things. "She actually prescribed group therapy," she said already dreading having to sit in that circle and not only listen but also contribute. It was the worst.

"You poor thing," he said chuckling lightly as he tried to imagine her doing it. There was so much about this he couldn't, because it just wasn't her, and he knew she was struggling with letting go. "Make any friends?"

"I go walking with Ms Winny around the garden everyday, she's really nice," Lane looked around her making sure no one was within earshot, "she's also very crazy," she added almost hearing his smile. "Oh I forgot to tell you. There's this guy Russell who's really good at drawing, I mean he's really good. I described you to him and he got you perfect. I've got it hanging it in my room."

Her voice got sweet at the end and it made him smile. "Just me?" he teased wishing he could see the way she was pressing her lips together.

Lane shrugged though he couldn't see her. "It only cost me two candy bars. He did a painting of me, it's kind of beautiful." He'd done it in all different colors that he splattered on before creating the shape of her.

"Do I need to come down there?"

She grinned feeling the way her eyes squinted from how wide it was. "You're gonna beat up a sixty two year old?" she teased in return.

"I'll beat up anyone trying to steal my girl," he said without hesitation, and he smiled hearing her laugh. They both quieted hearing the tell tale beep signaling the end of the call, and he looked at the time on the stove to see it really was over. It never felt like enough. "Our last minute," he said not wanting to let her go.

She only did this with Sweet Pea, both Fangs and Cheryl crammed as much love into that last minute as they could, but she and Sweet Pea spent it in complete silence with only the sound of their breathing on the other end. Imaging they were as close as they felt in that moment, that he could hold her. Glancing at the time he'd set to see the minute was almost up he told her what he always did, using it the place of love. "I miss you," he said filling it with every feeling he was capable.

"I miss you too," she breathed moments before the phone cut out.

They both stood holding the dead phones to their ear as if they were still there, as if they could still feel it. But Fangs came into the kitchen setting a light hand on Sweet Pea's back spurring him back into motion, and Sweet Pea came crashing down to the reality that he'd have to wait another week to hear from her.

Slowly Lane returned the phone to the cradle as she blinked frequently, controlling her breathing because it helped with the tears. She turned planning to go to her room and look at the drawing she had of Sweet Pea, maybe sit under a blanket and read. But she found herself looking at Ms Winny's half paralyzed face as she tried to smile gently. "You wanna go on another walk?" Winny asked her.

Lane was quiet as her eyes flooded and she sniffed before nodding. Winny held a hand out and Lane took it as they shuffled slowly at Winny's pace as they headed outside.

.^.

They cycled through the four of them every weekend going to visit Lane: Sweet Pea, Fangs, Cheryl, and Toni. By the time it got back to Sweet Pea it'd been a month, and he couldn't stand it. The first Saturday he visited she hated it there, the second and third and even a little on the fourth she still did. But on that fourth visit, the end of January, he started to see the early signs of her changing: her smiles came easier, her expression wasn't so hard, she joked a little more. She was his Lane again, but in the end he always had to leave. He could feel from how tight she hugged him she didn't want him to go, so he squeezed her as hard as he could without breaking her so she'd feel he didn't wanna go either.

Six months and the pattern didn't change, everyone had their weekend, they had their day they talked to Lane on the phone. Twenty Five weeks, until on the twenty sixth Lane came into the welcome area looking for Cheryl and instead finding Sweet Pea. She rose on the tips of her toes wrapping her arms around his shoulders, feeling his hands on her back a little too tight. "Hi," she said with a little contented sigh.

He turned his face into her cheek kissing her lightly. "Cheryl gave me her day," he told her, finding himself so grateful she had. All he'd wanted was Lane today.

"I figured," Lane said pulling back, reaching a hand to his cheek offering him the comfort she'd been receiving the last couple days. Dr Fields knew the anniversary of their daughter's death had the potential to trigger everything Lane had gotten herself past the last six months. So she'd increased Lane's therapy sessions, filling her schedule with activities that would keep her mind busy. But it was the other patients, coming by frequently through the day to talk to her, to invite her to do things – and Lane, against all odds, let them in. Every single person in that facility had reached out to her with sympathy and care, Lane wasn't used to having so much of it and she was growing soft with it. "The flowers are blooming, you wanna go for a walk?"

They moved slowly along the stone path through the gardens, a path they'd traveled what felt like a hundred times. And they'd travel it a hundred times more so long as they were together. "How are you, with this?" he asked, not really sure he knew how he was. But it'd been so hard on her, it all but destroyed her. He wouldn't let that happen again.

She was quiet as she considered the answer, feeling all of the same pain as when it first happened, but she could deal with it better. "I've accepted it, and I'm sad."

"How'd that feel coming out?"

"Like death," she answered rolling her eyes. She could talk about her feelings more now but it didn't mean she liked it – she'd had a breakthrough several weeks ago that'd come in the form of a breakdown, but the staff here and the few friends she'd made had gotten her through it.

He smiled faintly. "That's my girl," he said finding that so very familiar. But he grabbed her hand as he stopped, and he looked down at her seeing so much life in her eyes instead of just himself. "I'm really proud of you."

She nodded knowing he was because he'd told her a few times before, but this time she raised a shoulder looking up at him innocently and said, "I kind of am too." It wasn't just feeling better, because she really was sad, but she felt free. The weight of the world wasn't on her shoulders, Hiram's trial was coming to an end and they'd gotten the witnesses she found protected so they could testify. Her world had come crashing to a halt last year and she'd done her best to get it moving, but it was spinning on its own now without any help from her. All she had to do was breathe.  
"Fangs tells me you've been withdrawn lately," she said recounting what Fangs had told her last weekend. That other than school he wasn't really doing much those days, putting his life on hold for her. "You can't wait for me, it's not fair to you. I'm getting out in a few months we can catch up then. But for now," she held a finger to his chest as he stared down at her happy for her to boss him around again, "Fangs tells me him and a bunch of other guys are gonna go down to the quarry. When I call you in four days I want a full report."

"Yes ma'am."

"And," she said, her voice sharpening as her face grew serious, "I want the names of three colleges you're thinking about."

He got his hands around her hips as he pulled her against him, licking his grinning lips. "What are you gonna do if I don't, not see me in two weeks?" he teased pursing his mouth around a smile.

Her face screwed up as she pushed him away. "You're here for me not the other way around, so I'm gonna see you. But I won't be happy about it," she said not appreciating his smirk, because he knew she'd never turn him away – the same way she knew he'd give her what she wanted. "That's not true," she relented almost immediately, "I'm always happy to see you."

Six months and it stilled floored him to hear her say such honest things when before she refused to say them even to herself. He could feel heat gathering in his chest as it slowly crept up his neck, looking to redden his cheeks. "Do you ever count the days?" He did, and he had a feeling Fangs told her that too.

"It's not pathetic when I do it," she promptly informed him, seeing the way his brows drew together offended. "I'm stuck in here, you're the best part of everyday. But you," she had that finger pointed at him again, and he could feel the warmth in his face knowing she thought about him as much as he thought about her, "are a badass Serpent. So untuck your balls and live a little."

His brow cocked and a mischievous smirk curled on his mouth as she turned around to keep walking, leaving her backside open for him to smack. With wide eyes she turned back to him, seeing his smirk had grown, as had the heat in his eyes. "Just following orders," was his sly response.

Her eyes hardened though her mouth twitched, still feeling the sting of his palm. "You are such," he lunged forward scooping her up, "an ass," she laughed holding onto him as he shifted her weight in his arms.

He had his hands under her feeling her arms around his shoulders as he stared up at her beautiful face. She was stubborn and strong, and so goddamn frustrating, but she could be sweet and warm and she loved harder than anyone else he knew. "I know you're not ready yet, and you don't have to say anything,"

"I love you too," she told him, without a single doubt. This pain in the ass, jerk, of a really great guy. They'd both screwed up, several times they'd shown each other their worst, but they always came back in the end. The only future she saw was one with him, that had never changed.

Holding her up on his waist feeling her legs wrapped around him and her hand in his hair, hearing those words, seeing the truth of them shining in her eyes, he almost forgot how to breathe. "You said it first." Again, and again he found himself trying to catch up.

Words filled her mouth and normally she choked them down, but she'd been working really hard with Dr Fields to let them out. So she did. "I'll always say it first." And she meant it, if he let her. She saw the way that made his expression fall apart, feeling the way his chest dipped as he exhaled, seeing the slow way his mouth opened. "You can't kiss me after what happened last time."

The memory of that had them both smiling faintly stilled embarrassed, having gotten too caught up in one particularly burning moment and had gone too far before they were caught. And yet their eyes gleamed as they both contemplated whether to try it again.

"What's going on?" asked the middle aged nurse who'd been the one to find them.

Sweet Pea's hands slipped down the backs of Lane's thighs to her knees as he set her back on the ground, seeing the way Lane pressed her lips together. "I'm glad you're here," Sweet Pea told the frowning nurse who aimed her blaming gaze at him. "We were walking and she just jumped me out of nowhere."

Lane smacked his arm casting a chastised look to the woman, who shooed them on. "I'm coming round your room in five minutes," she told them, her accusatory stare still set on Sweet Pea.

The two teens walked down the halls with patient's artwork hung on display heading for Lane's room. Sweet Pea pulled the two photographs Toni had developed out of his pocket and handed them to Lane who taped them to her picture board in whatever space they fit; purposefully nonuniform. Every weekend whoever visited brought a picture of something someone had done, something memorable they wanted to show her. Sometimes the Serpents took one together, a few having made signs telling her they missed her. On the days she felt lonely, which happened more frequently than she liked, she looked at all of them remembering what she had to go back to.

Sweet Pea came up behind her letting his hands stray on her waist, not low on her hips more above them because it was comfortable, and he rested his chin on the top of her head. "You said a few months," he said wanting to know more about that.

"Yeah," Lane replied turning into him. "Dr Fields outlined it, she's pretty confidant I'll get out somewhere around the first week of August. She'll have a better idea when it's closer exactly what day I'll be released."

He felt her wrap her arms around his waist as she pressed herself against his chest, her chin resting on the center of his breastbone as she looked up at him. "Four months," he said taking a steadying breath as his hands encircled further around her, "I guess I can wait that long for you," he teased, because by then he made it clear he'd wait forever for her.

They reached the same thought that had their eyes darkening, and his hands slid along her sides to cup her face as her sneaky little hands trailed low around his hips. A throat cleared from the hall and they pulled apart turning to the stern woman coming around right on time. "Leave room for Jesus," she told them, this time her eyes were on Lane. "I know your people are still waiting for him, so you just leave room for him when he comes."

Sweet Pea watched her disappear around the corner and he turned to see Lane grinning ear to ear, and in that moment she didn't look anything other than happy. There were no lingering worries or self doubt, or the need for a backup plan to her backup plan because this was all she needed. "Hey," he said getting her attention. And in those unsuspecting moments as she turned toward him he leaned into her sneaking a kiss.  
Her smile was softer when he pulled away, he was still getting used to seeing this much love from her. He'd felt it no doubt before, she had no problem showing it in the things she did or said or the way her hand or eyes lingered, but to see it so clearly painted in her features. "I love you," he said getting his hands around her back again, feeling hers on his chest as she looked up him.

He had just about the sweetest look on his face, she'd only seen it a few rare times because things had always been so up in the air for them. But things were okay, finally okay enough that they could just be. "Four months," Lane said already counting the days in her head.

One more time they closed the distance between them, finding it impossible how they could be so sad and happy all wrapped into one as they were wrapped in each other. "If I have to split you two up one more time." They were quick to pull apart, turning with mirrored innocent faces to the nurse that doubled back when they didn't come out of her room.

.^.

Ten months after walking into Seaside Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center a broken shell of a fractured girl, Lane had her bag slung on her shoulder with a couple new medications and a spark of hope alight in her eyes. The change she felt wasn't remarkable, she was still her; but lighter, breathing didn't feel like a constant struggle. She was scheduled for weekly phone consults with Dr Fields for the first month, she'd come back here for in person interviews the first three, and then it was as needed. There were pictures and memories of this place, of these people, and she'd hugged them all fiercely, honestly feeling like they'd saved her.

She stepped out of the facility into the warm midmorning sun like a bird leaving its cage for the last time. Hiram had been found guilty by the jury only a few days before, in a month she'd be restarting her senior year; there was a whole life waiting for her and she was finally ready for it.

Several feet in front of her leaning against her car was Sweet Pea, who waited impatiently jiggling his leg, pulling on the front of his sleeveless jacket, his body buzzing with too much excitement to sit still. But he stilled when she came out, without his even knowing he'd pushed himself off the car and stood waiting for her.

She walked calm keeping herself in check, but when she got the last several feet she let go of the bag and rushed to him. He bent catching her and lifted her into his arms, feeling the soft skin of her legs under his palms from her jean shorts. For a moment they just held each other close, soaking in the realization that they didn't have to leave each other anymore. But it had Sweet Pea's eyes watering and he'd rather not so he settled with something simpler. "You know how much shit Fangs would've given us if he'd seen that?"

She chuckled lightly pulling back to see his face, knowing Fangs would've given them hell for that sappy movie moment. That's when it occurred to her that Sweet Pea had come alone, which meant the others were together. "I'm guessing Cheryl put together a welcome home party," she said, not needing to ask.

"You know your girl."

That Lane did, and she wanted to see her and Fangs and Toni. All of the Serpents. But she looked at Sweet Pea's brown eyes not wanting to waste a second of this. "Wanna take the long way home?"

Without hesitation, but full of conviction, he told her, "I'll take you anywhere."

.^.

She was showered and dressed in something other than the few clothes she'd brought with her, sounded by the familiar smell of home. Sweet Pea was staying at camp, they agreed to take it slow and Sweet Pea would move back in whenever she was ready. They hadn't even gotten to him spending the night yet, Fangs was still living with her. But for the first time she and Sweet Pea had space to breathe in, and in that space an insatiable desire grew. The constant want to be together, butterflies, shy smiles and timid hands. It was good, they were good - in a way they hadn't gotten to be the first time around.

But there was a cloud hiding part of their sun, a distant thought that lingered stealing some of her joy. It was the last stage of her plan, or at least it was one stipulation she'd had in place in case she made it this far. Because if she didn't do this she wouldn't make it any farther.

But she was supposed to be better, this is what the old Lane would do, the damaged one that couldn't be better. So she couldn't, but what choice did she have.

It was nearing noon when the call came, she'd been waiting for it. Hiram had been processed, Hermione had finally sent the prison a check wanting to rub salt in the wound as he waited to buy from commissary and use the phone. Of course he'd already made a name for himself, was making steps to take over the drugs being smuggled in and sold between the inmates. Of course the girl who'd sent him here irrevocably, without a chance in hell to appeal, would be his first call.

"I wanted to congratulate you, bomboncita," he told her when she answered. Because of course she answered, she couldn't let him go anymore than he. "I haven't lost to many."

"Considering everyone who's tried is dead I'd say I'm the first."

He stood at the wall holding three phones, not yet noticing they were suspiciously unused. Her voice was bland as always, perfectly unbothered. He didn't buy it. "For now," he replied, his warning clear. "You were better than I anticipated, certainly better than your father. He was disappointing but you, you knew how to play."

It was quiet on her end for several moments, he tried picturing her face. Her unreadable infuriating face, it was a shame he couldn't kill her himself. "Would it still be fun for you to get a rise out of me without seeing it on my face?" Lane knew that's what he was after, to know he could still get to her. That he would eventually, inevitably, get to her.

"Probably not," he admitted, knowing that stony voice had never and would never crack because of him. It wasn't worth the minutes of phone time to try, neither was she. "You have to know it wouldn't be this easy," he said, a hint of teasing in his tone.

"Of course not," Lane agreed. Normally she'd show her own signs of teasing, of having something over him, but she didn't enjoy this the way she used to. Now it sounded like a chore. "Let me guess, you've had eyes on me since your arrest. But since Attorney McCoy made it a point that if anyone related to your trial died it'd be investigated with you as the prime suspect. So you couldn't do anything."

"Yet."

A faint smirk that wasn't even half of what it used to be curled on her mouth. "Yeah," she said quietly having already seen the guy watching her. Jughead had a few Serpents running him out of town. "Do you think he'd care to finish the job when you stop paying him?"

It was Hiram's turn to pause as he thought that over, his face smoothing in surprise, his eyes looking at the empty phones beside him, an alarm in his mind beginning to ring. "You're threatening me." He didn't need to ask, he knew her by then. She had something else up her sleeve.

"No," she responded simply. "That would imply I wanted something from you, and I've already won."  
In the place of his usual sneer he was frowning at not seeing the prison guard who normally observed the prisoners making their calls, but there were no other prisoners, the hall was deadly empty.  
"Do me a favor, Mr H," Lane said feeling her breathing deepen. "Give Minetta a kiss for me."

His blood ran cold as his mind realized the quiet around him had been staged, as had the body that'd been found without head or hand. Releasing a breath Hiram turned to the wall behind him to see Minetta, quiet and sturdy as he patiently waited to make his move. He didn't waste a second before burying the shiv in Hiram's throat, seeing his eyes bulge as he reached a hand to Minetta's arm. And then he stabbed him again, and again, until they were both painted red from the blood that squirted from his open carotid.

Lane could hear his gurgled gasping as he fell to the floor from the phone that hung from the metal cord, and she stood breathing too fast with a hand pressed to her mouth.

"It's done," came Minnetta's deep voice as he held the phone in his blood soaked hand.

For a moment Lane stood holding the phone to her ear too in shock to understand. But a gentle hand ran along her cheek and she looked up at where Sweet Pea had been leaning against the counter beside her. Lane had gone to him the moment she began to doubt herself, he'd been with her through it all. "We did it," she breathed in a quiet unsure voice, sounding more like child as she gaped up at him.

This had been their life for a year, freedom seemed like a dream they would inevitably wake from. Seeing her eyes fill he pulled her against him, holding her through it.

.^.

 _Seven years later_

Lane stood in the kitchen wrapping the plates and glasses so they wouldn't break when they were packed up and moved back to Riverdale. She'd only been in Cambridge the last four years, Sweet Pea for the last three because he liked to call her an overachiever for getting her bachelor's degree in three years. Sheriff Keller had written an impressive recommendation outlining the case she alone made against Hiram Lodge, she was almost positive that and Sierra Keller's letter had been the reason they accepted her at Harvard.

"We've got more boxes for you, Attorney Vivian," Fangs said as he and Sweet Pea came back to the apartment, having been calling her that since she found out she passed. Him showing up three years ago had been a welcome surprise, though he claimed it was to experience a new city rather than anything to do with her. "And you, nurse Scott," Fangs said lowering his voice as he leaned across the counter to kiss the handsome young man he'd fallen head over heels for two years ago.

They had one other roommate in that three bedroom apartment who dropped out of college and instead went backpacking, a midlife crisis at twenty three Lane called it. Scott answered the ad, he was a sweet guy Lane's age who'd just finished nursing school and was looking for a roommate to cut the cost of rent. Instead he got three, and a boyfriend he'd eventually decided to move with to another state.

While the boys went to finish packing Scott's room Sweet Pea came up behind Lane with a hand on either side of the counter trapping her against him. He smiled down at her as she turned to look up at him, seeing a familiar glint in her eyes. "You wanna tell me something."

"Who said that," Lane replied coyly.

He leaned further against counter bringing his face closer to hers as he hovered over her. "It's been eight years, babe, I know when you wanna tell me something." He knew her face better than his own, he'd memorized every unconscious tick. But she continued blinking up at him with wide innocent eyes. "You did something while we were gone," he said realizing she was gonna make him guess. She nodded and he released a heavy breath as he thought of what it could be. "Did you break something?" She shook her head and he sighed not knowing what it could be. Other than the kitchen and a few things in Scott's room everything was packed, they had the truck to drive to Riverdale, they both had jobs waiting for them, she didn't look any different.

But that wasn't entirely true, he just hadn't recognized it yet. "Give up?" she asked and waited for him to take a few more moments wanting to figure it out before he let out another sigh. A wide joyful smile spread over her mouth, one that took his breath away – he hadn't been anywhere near the answer. "I'm pregnant."

She watched him blink, his mind not quite caught up yet, but his face froze when it did as he tried to process. The breath he'd unknowingly been holding left him in a stunned laugh as he finally got it, that this was happening. "Really?" he asked softly, as though he might wake up. She nodded and it took his breath away again as his eyes filled too full.

Running a hand through his hair he turned away from her, needing a moment to just think – it left her watching him curiously, worriedly. "Sweet Pea?"

"I just," he started, his hand tucked in his pocket as he turned back to her. "This isn't how I wanted to do this," he told her, "I had a whole plan, and it was gonna make you cry." She nodded as though she understood his fumbled words, but her heart dropped out of her chest when he dropped to one knee pulling out the ring he'd kept in his wallet for over a year. "Will you," he lost his breath the same way she did as she stared down at him with shining eyes, "do me the honor of being unhappy with me for the rest of our lives?"

There was no need to consider all the options to know if this was the right one, she didn't need time to form a plan. She looked at him and knew, without a single doubt, and she answered with a resounding, "yes."

* * *

 _And so ends Lane and Sweet Pea's story, I know it was a bumpy ride but they finally got there. I did enjoy writing this, and I'm so glad you guys stuck with it - and to the guest reviewers who I never got to thank personally I thank you now. There is the alternate ending, I don't know exactly when that's coming unfortunately. But sometime hopefully in the near future. It shouldn't be too long._

 _I am still working on the alternate version of this story that took this in a different direction, Tower Over Me (with your arms like towers), that one will follow the rest of season 3 (or until I decide I can't take the show anymore). That one will have Lane ending up with my OC Angie, because controlling OCs is so much easier, and because I fell for them so hard. But Sweet Pea is the alternate ending for that one, so you guys do still get him and everything I planned for them._

 _Thank you all so much for reading, I truly appreciate it._


	41. Chapter 41 - alternate ending

_This isn't the alternate ending I originally planned, that was gonna be Lane and Minetta. And it was gonna be so freaking warm and loving because he just completes her so perfectly. But I had that almost completely done like two weeks ago, and I've just been sitting on it hating this show too much to finish it._

 _So instead you're getting a second happy ending with Sweet Pea that only took me a few hours to write. Yay. In this version Lane wasn't able to say goodbye to Fangs before she goes, meaning no one has any reason to think she's not dead. So just, know that. Onwards to the very end, and I hope you enjoy it._

* * *

It'd taken Lane weeks to craft her plan, to round out the edges until it was smooth, until it was perfect. With so many moving pieces she had stipulations for her stipulations, every move had a counter move and every reaction had a preconceived outcome that all led back to the same end. She'd planned for everything, except him. In all her scheming and playing Minetta and Hiram, and making Sweet Pea hate her, she never knew to plan for him.

.^.

Minetta sat at his desk reviewing the lab reports for both Lane and the waitress. The only reason they had any record on Lane was because of what happened with her father, otherwise she would've been labeled a Jane Doe when the body was pulled from the river. If he did anything to her file that might look like a duplicate chart it'd be flagged, so he had go through the lab results. The sample he'd taken from Lane the other night popped up in her chart, he replaced it with the results from the waitress who didn't have a record. Now when the waitress' body was found any results from her would populate in Lane's chart.

All that was left of Lane's actual chart was now in his hands: her etoh level was high, as was the opioid level but this likely wouldn't show in the results when the time came. But there was one test that came back positive that stilled the air in his lungs, and he blinked at it with a cold sense of nonunderstanding that had him unable to focus.

He found her in his apartment sitting on his couch with her elbows on her knees as she stared blankly at the carpet. She glanced his way seeing it on his shell shocked face that mirrored how she felt, having peed on a stick a couple hours earlier when the familiar array of symptoms finally hit her. "You saw it on the blood tests, didn't you?" she asked in a soft voice. He nodded and she laughed, or cried she didn't know what sound she made, but she let her head fall to her hands. "Son of a bitch," she muttered. Not once but twice did she let this happen to herself, with the same goddamn boy.

Kneeling in front of her he gently pulled her hands away from her face and cupped her cheek, feeling the subtle weight of her leaning into his touch. "We need to up the timeline," he told her. They'd planned for Hiram deciding to get rid of her before they anticipated, they had everything in place for it.

"This doesn't change anything," Lane said not wanting to stray from the plan unless absolutely necessary. This wasn't necessary, it was just a very unfortunate and annoying curve ball.

"This changes everything," he told her, his voice carved to stone. "He's biding his time with you, Lane. All of this hinges on him sending me after you instead of hiring someone else."

Lane shrugged sitting back, gaining a little distance from him so she could think. "I planned for that too," she told him stubbornly, a thought stuck in the back of her head she wasn't ready for.

He scoffed knowing that plan well. "You either get him before he kills you or you die," he said using her own words against her. "Yeah, that doesn't work for me." He watched her run a hand through her hair, saw the way she tugged at the roots like she did when she was unhappy.

"You know it's not yours," she said in a quiet breathy voice, unable to meet his eye.

Getting a hand under her chin he turned her to face him, seeing her wide scared eyes. She looked so young in this rare unguarded moment, and he felt the same need to protect her as he always had. "I know," he told her, having never thought it was. He felt her try to pull away, saw the shame in her eyes at hearing he didn't care. And he didn't, because they were never part of the plan, and at no point had she ever stopped loving that boy – he'd gone into this knowing she wasn't his to keep. "So we up the timeline, and when you leave you need to stay gone."

She couldn't come back. Even at her darkest when she considered whether she deserved this life she never really wanted to leave Riverdale, to leave Fangs or Cheryl or even Sweet Pea. This was home, this was where her family was. So the plan was always to take Hiram down so she could come back. But she didn't plan for this.

.^.

Two days before Lane's body was pulled from Sweetwater River Betty found a thick manila envelope tucked between two books on her bookshelf. Inside was a written letter outlining everything Lane had collected against Hiram: his dealings with the Warden, evidence Southside High was being used as a drug factory with photographs of Hiram and Claudius Blossom next to a shipment of Fizzle Rocks, of both men with the shipment at the Sister's of Quiet Mercy, several recorded phone calls between Hiram and Minetta including the last one of Hiram ordering Minetta to kill the Shadow Lake crew, a list of witnesses who agreed to testify against Hiram should charges be brought against Hiram again, as well as a detailed account of Tall Boy under order of Hiram Lodge murdering her father. She'd even given Tall Boy's current location.

But at the end of the letter was a note telling Betty Hiram needed to be in custody before any of this was released, and she needed to be absolutely sure he would go down, underlining several times the part where Hiram would kill her to get to this evidence. And at the very end, so small Betty almost looked over it, was a phone number.

.^.

It was a sad cold few months after they buried Lane. The Serpents were in mourning and none greater than Fangs, who told himself he should've seen the signs she wasn't okay, that he shouldn't have left her alone. She left Fangs the house, she left him what was left of her money so he could afford it – it was odd that a seventeen year old would make a will a week before she died, but the police found no evidence to suggest it was anything more than happenstance. The first time he stepped inside and smelled her he didn't stop crying for hours, so he sold it because she was gone and he didn't know how to deal with that.

He spent a lot of time with Sweet Pea, making sure he stayed okay and didn't blame himself too much with wondering what would've happened if he'd just tried harder to love her. There was a lot of alcohol those first couple months, a lot of tears that never really stopped, a lot of hatred. Sweet Pea hated her for this, he hated him for this. He hated everything those days.

So Fangs noticed when the self loathing rage Sweet Pea wore like a coat began to lessen. It was slow at first, like falling asleep, until all at once he looked up and found himself staring at his best friend again. Albeit a sad confused, withdrawn, version of Sweet Pea but it was something.

…

Hope had come in the form of a handwritten letter. The moment he saw his name and address on the envelope Sweet Pea knew it was Lane's writing. After missing her for so long it honestly destroyed him, he hadn't been able to open it for days. It just sat in his pocket a terrible heavy thing that he often touched just to make sure it was there, that he hadn't imagined it, that it wasn't a dream. He had so many goddamn dreams; of her sweet voice over the phone, of her coming home, holding him.

When he finally pulled the letter out he found a check tucked inside, and if he hadn't already been sitting his legs would've given out at the undeniable proof she was alive. _This wasn't what I wanted, and I'm sorry for how it happened. I don't expect you to forgive me._

The check was made out to Sweet Pea in Rebecca's name, and he laughed in a small unamused way at how obvious it now seemed that Lane was alive when Rebecca hadn't come to the funeral. It was enough to buy a plane ticket and included the number of the person who'd bring him to her. It was for Sweet Pea if he wanted it and she said again she'd understand if he didn't. But he couldn't tell Fangs, not until Hiram was gone and Lane already had someone in place to let her know when that happened.

But he couldn't do it. Anytime he thought about going to see her, and he thought about it everyday, he'd find a reason he couldn't. The Serpents, Fangs, school, the fact that he was still mad at her. So he kept it close and he kept it hidden, so heavy he felt like it'd pull him into the earth and he'd never get back out – the way she used to make him feel, because at some point she'd become his center of gravity and he was always pulled back to her.

.^.

And he was, always pulled back to her. It'd taken longer this time but he'd run out of excuses, and whether he wanted to or not he loved her. She wasn't dead, he wasn't missing what would never be – he was remembering everything he loved and hated about her and he wanted it all.

A month after they finished junior year Fangs, who'd been watching Sweet Pea give everything his all like he wouldn't get to again, followed him home and found him packing. "It's Lane isn't it," he demanded, having thought it for months. Nothing would've changed Sweet Pea so drastically, turned him from bitter to almost okay, except her. "She contacted you."

"You know I'm not answering that," Sweet Pea said as he shoved the little he had into a duffle bag.

Fangs watched him keep his head down too ashamed to look at him. "I was here when you wouldn't be, I'm the one took care of her," Fangs reminded him. His hands were shaking, not just from Lane being alive because at no point had he ever stopped wanting it, but that she'd abandoned him.

"I know," Sweet Pea said on a tired aching breath. Nothing about this was fair to Fangs, it's part of why it'd taken Sweet Pea so long to finally go. And he'd been wondering why Lane had chosen him, because she'd done everything she could to end this thing between them. So what changed to make her want him, instead of Fangs who she never stopped loving.

Fangs stood with his hands balled into fists feeling his eyes begin to flood as Sweet Pea finished packing. "You're not coming back, are you?"

Sweet Pea turned pained eyes on his best friend and sighed shaking his head. "When this thing with Lodge is done," he told him, slinging the bag on his shoulder. A year and she still had the worst hold on him. "I'll call you when I'm there," he said clapping a hand on Fangs' shoulder. It was meant to be goodbye but it felt hollow.

Fangs shook his head and sighed heavily before pulling him into a tight hug. "You go be with our girl," he said trying to swallow the knot in his throat. "And tell her I really miss her." They pulled away and Fangs punched him lightly, both their eyes shining as they said a proper goodbye.

.^.

In a small one bedroom flat on the outskirts of northwest London Lane sat on the couch listening to the news as she folded the laundry she'd started the day before and finally got done today. It was wrinkled from sitting in the dryer for hours, but those days everything was wrinkled and she'd quickly stopped caring.

A quiet knock on the door had her turning to the bedroom and she waited a moment before she went to the door and opened it. Rebecca's husband had called that morning saying he'd be by later with something for her, he'd texted her a while ago to say he was on his way so she didn't check the peephole before opening it. And it felt like the entire world had dropped out from under her at the sight of Sweet Pea.

"Hey," was his lame greeting as he stared with the same wide desperate eyes. He'd thought up so much to say, he even considered screwing words and just kissing her, but hey is where he ended up.

She had to remind herself how to breathe and she sucked in a large breath before giving a soft, "hi," in return. "Come in," she said pulling the door open wide and beckoning him inside.

He looked around as she closed the door behind him, it was bigger than he thought it'd be from how small it looked outside but that might've been because the main room was very open and had a large window that took up most of the back wall showing a beautiful view of London at night. It was very pale, the furniture grey, a few small decorations, it smelled like flowers – subtle and elegant, it was very Lane. "Your hair's longer," he said glancing at her long ponytail. It had still been at her shoulders when she disappeared.

"Yeah, I uh," she ran a hand over her pulled back hair suddenly forgetting what she was saying so she just left it at, "yeah."

It'd been a year since they broke up, nine months since she'd been gone, and somehow the awkwardness between them felt like a surprise. "How've you been?" he asked, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he stood in the space between the kitchen and the living room. She looked good, really good, even though she was wearing pajamas and seemed really tired. But she was beautiful as he always thought she was.

She nodded tucking a few flyaways behind her ear. "Good, I've been good. Rebecca got me a job at her company, so I've been doing that. Um, technically I'm Elaine Waters, after her husband. So." She sighed at herself not knowing why this was so hard, why it felt so much like they were strangers when at the same time all she wanted to do was let him hold her. "And you?" she remembered to ask.

He nodded finding it just as strange as he tried to catch his breath. "All things considered," he said leaving it at that because he didn't want a fight so soon. And he saw her eyes drop from his as she stepped away from him, seeing a flash of pain on her face as she turned into the living room.

"I didn't think you were coming." It'd been seven months since she sent that letter, she'd given up on him.

He followed behind her like he was scared if he let her get too far she'd disappear again. "I didn't know how to leave."

She turned to him then with her brows drawn together, too afraid he hated her to let herself realize what he meant. "You didn't have to leave," she said, but what she meant was he wasn't obligated to her. Because that's what this was suddenly feeling like, and she wanted as far away from it as possible.

His stomach felt like it dropped to the floor as he stared down at her wide vulnerable eyes, seeing what he'd done to her. He only wanted to convince himself he didn't love her so it wouldn't hurt as much, he never meant to convince her too. Grabbing her arm he turned her to him forcing her to meet his eyes. "I'm not going anywhere," he told her firmly, like it was a promise. And just like that the words he'd thought up on the plane came back to him. "It's gonna take time, we're gonna argue and yell because we're both hurt. And I'm fine with that, I wanna fight. But I don't wanna start tonight, I just," just as quickly as he found them they fled again. He stared down at her wide eyes that were too scared to hope because he'd left her before, and he was still hurt from how sharp her words had been, but it didn't feel as impossible as before.

With nothing left to say he wrapped his arms around her smothering her against him, burying his face in her hair finding she still used the same shampoo. And that smell, the feel of her holding – this was home.

She'd found her home in someone else, she found the better part of herself in a love so all consuming she never dreamed it possible. But only now, with Sweet Pea, did it feel whole. With a hand on his chest she put distance between them seeing the confusion in his eyes as she stepped away. "I'm really glad to hear that," she told him softly. "That you're staying for me. Because um," she swallowed as she stepped further away, toward the bedroom in the back, "that's not why I asked you to come."

His brows knitted as she beckoned him to follow, and he moved to stand behind her in the doorway and peeked into her dark room seeing first her partially made bed and then the crib set against the wall beside it. That stole the air from his lungs as his knees gave out, and he held himself up in the doorway as his mouth opened and closed in such quick succession he must've looked like a fish gasping for water.

Without his knowing his feet had quietly moved him closer and he stood over the crib staring down at the tiny figure sprawled on his back, seeing thick black hair and chubby cheeks. "How old is," he broke off realizing he didn't if it was a girl or a boy.

"He's five weeks."

Sweet Pea turned to Lane with wide shining eyes, understanding now why she seemed so much softer now when she'd been so hard before she left. "William Noah?" he whispered and she nodded. They'd talked about that before they knew Daya was a girl; William was the name the men in her family passed down, Sweet Pea was the one who picked Noah because it was her middle name. "Can I hold him?" he asked almost shyly.

Lane nodded and when he didn't move she gently scooped Noah up and turned letting Sweet Pea get his arms under hers as she slipped away. He blinked down at that beautiful little face seeing his own pointed nose and his chin, until a crippling joyous devastation fell over him and he started to cry. Lane reached a hand to Sweet Pea's cheek feeling him lean into her, knowing that feeling well. She'd wept when the nurse set him on her chest, and seeing his little face she could remember what her daughter had looked like.

It took him a while to pull himself together, and Lane sat once more on the couch finishing the laundry with Sweet Pea beside her still holding their son, not ready to let go.

.^.

Fangs knew Sweet Pea had gotten in last night, and though he tried to be understanding that he might've still been in shock seeing Lane he was still a little irritated, and it was still mostly at Lane. "It's about time you remembered to call me," Fangs grumbled answering the phone when Sweet Pea finally called early that morning. "I know you won't say either way, but tell Lane I'm mad at her too."

"I thought you might be."

The sound of her voice had his heart skipping a beat and he stood stock still in Cheryl's house, having snuck in when she and Toni were gone so he could be sure no one would hear this conversation. "Lane?" he whispered as though if he said her name too loud someone was gonna come and take it away from him.

"Look at your phone," she told him, and waited as he pulled it away from his ear to see she'd facetimed him instead of called.

And that beautiful face. "Baby girl," he said and immediately dissolved into tears. He let his head hang in his overwhelming relief, and ran a hand across his leaking eyes as he sniffed.

"Don't you dare make me cry," she said in a thick voice as her eyes flooded. God she missed him, it killed her leaving him like that, not saying goodbye.

He nodded trying to get himself under control, and he really just wanted to hug her, to feel her again. "I'm gonna be so mad at you when you come back," he told her.

She nodded knowing he would be. "You and Cheryl," she said knowing Cheryl was likely to be more hurt given what happened with Jason. "I have to go to work so I don't have a lot of time," she'd taken a half day today, it was already noon and she was due to be there in thirty minutes. "But I wanted you to meet someone," she said and turned the phone to where Sweet Pea stood holding Noah against his chest.

"Oh my god, is that?" Fangs exclaimed as he gaped at his phone, seeing so much of Sweet Pea in his little face. "He's gonna have your eyes," he said seeing how pale they were against his nut-brown skin as he blinked.

That was the first thing Sweet Pea had noticed when he'd woken up, they weren't green yet like hers but they'd get there. He took the phone when Lane handed it to him and grabbed her bag. "I've gotta go, bottles are in the fridge. The heater's on the counter, do you know how to work it?"

"Yes mom," he said for the third time that morning.

"Changing table's in the room, you have my number if anything goes wrong."

"Which it won't," he told her, also for the third time. "We'll be fine."

Lane gave him a look before she leaned forward kissing the top of Noah's head. "Bye Fangs, I'll talk to you later." She looked up at Sweet Pea not knowing what to do in terms of goodbye, she used to kiss his cheek sometimes his mouth, but they weren't anywhere near that. So she reached a hand to his arm and gave a small tight lipped smile before she headed out.

.^.

Sweet Pea was right about it taking time between them, and about them arguing because they argued for a while before they finally got to the crux of the problem between them. They couldn't go back, it'd been too long they'd grown too far apart. So they started over, as well as they could with him sleeping on her couch and sharing a baby between them.

They got to know each other again, shared little memories that made them smile, made new ones in a new city where they could find themselves again. It was hard, until it wasn't. They settled into a warm happy routine, of Lane making breakfast while Sweet Pea got Noah up, of him watching Noah while she worked, her two boys visiting her for lunch everyday, Sweet Pea learning to cook so she could come home and hold their son while he finished dinner, spending hours on the couch sometimes talking sometimes just being together before they'd turn in for the night, the weekends were either lazy days or visiting the grandparents or sight seeing, and then it all started again with Monday. It was a good place to fall in love in.

The first time had been a never ending whirlwind that left them never quite catching up, they jumped in before they'd made sure there was enough water to catch them. But this time, love came softly.

.^.

 _A year later_

Taking Hiram Lodge down proved to be almost impossible. Any evidence thrown at him was either tossed out or one of his men took the fall. When it finally seemed like they had him, facing numerous charges for what he'd done in effort to turn Riverdale into his drug empire, there was a mistrial.

Over and over he came back like a plague, or a cockroach. But finally Hiram overstepped just a fraction too far thinking he was winning, and they got him. His empire began to crumble as the truth unraveled and evidence was stacked against him, and finally Betty pulled out the envelope she'd been keeping safe and dialed the number left for her.

In a dark quiet flat on the outskirts of northwest London a couple slept peacefully wrapped in each other as their son slept soundly in the crib beside them. And the burner phone that sat in a drawer always charged waiting, nearly forgotten, finally rang.

.^.

It was Tall Boy who paved the way for Lane to come home, taking the fall for everything she'd done, and at long last gave a statement that finally closed her father's case. And when Hiram Lodge was locked once more behind bars, he found himself on the wrong end of Tall Boy's shiv.

.^.

The majority of their things were being shipped to the states where Lane would continue her position with Rebecca's company from Riverdale, taking Rebecca's old job as she moved up the ladder. But they flew over with what they could carry in two suitcases and Fangs picked them up at the airport in Lane's old car. He hugged them both fiercely, and by the time they drove up to Lane's old house Noah had warmed up to Fangs as the two sat in the back making car noises as they played with the hotwheels Noah liked.

Sweet Pea sat behind the wheel with a hand over Lane's leg, feeling hers set on top of his as she held it. He glanced down at the ring that shone on her finger, the one Rebecca had given him months before, and the one he'd used when he proposed to Lane after they got the call that Hiram had been found guilty.

"You ready?" he asked squeezing her leg as she looked up at the house she'd grown up in. She turned to him and nodded, and he leaned into her for a kiss. "It feels like home doesn't it?"

"Yeah," she agreed. It felt complete, like everything that'd happened and everything she'd lost had been in effort to get her to this place at this exact moment.

Sweet Pea and Fangs got the bags from the trunk and Lane climbed out and unbuckled Noah from his car seat. The door to the house opened as Cheryl stormed out, having spent the last few days with Toni furnishing and decorating it in anticipation for Lane's arrival, but they both stopped cold at the sight of Lane with a one year old on her hip as they understood exactly why Lane left the way she had.

She looked down at Noah's bright green eyes as he held onto her shirt. "This is gonna be our new home," she told him in a gentle voice, seeing the wide grin he always gave when she talked to him. He didn't know it yet but he had her completely wrapped around his finger.

Sweet Pea came up beside her wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he looked up at the house. So much had happened here, bad and good, but in that moment they both remembered falling in love here. He looked down at Lane with a warm smile as he bent to kiss her forehead, and then Noah's cheek as he giggled. And when she was ready, they went inside.

* * *

 _For anyone wondering, because I never said it in the actual story and only very slightly hinted at it – Lane wasn't actually pregnant in chapter 36. The results popping up as Lane were the waitress'. So this was more a what if Lane actually had been preggers.  
And if anyone cares, originally it was gonna be Minetta's baby and they were gonna skip off into the sunset after murdering some people and being a loving family – then after years she's able to come home, with her husband and children in tow. _

_That concludes this story, on one last final happy note. I appreciate every single one of you that made it this far, it means the world to me and there aren't enough thank you's to express my gratitude._


	42. Chapter 42 - update new take on season 3

Hey guys, I'm back at it again with the rewrites! Is anyone really surprised I'm doing this again?

Anyways, I'm redoing season 3 - again. However, had I waited after finishing season 2 until I saw all of season 3 I'm pretty positive this is where the story would've gone because it's the direction I was considering as I watched the finale of season 2. So maybe it was just always meant to be. I have the summary below:

 _The Serpents, Sweet Pea included, thought Lane abandoned them when she disappeared during riot night. But after cutting a deal with Hiram Lodge, her very own devil, Lane comes back to Riverdale to find everything's changed, herself included. With her daughter to take care of and Hiram breathing down her neck Lane begins to wonder if the only way to stop the devil is by becoming one herself._

So...Lane's gonna be a bit different. Although really I was kind of always leading to Lane not quite taking over but being the puppet master. Her and her long games, she loves them. But Lane, as good as she is with a plan and her words, she's small and needs some muscle to back her up. Who better than Sweet Pea! And we know our boy is ride or die. But even then he'll be different, season 3 made him so stupidly soft and I didn't like it so I'm sticking with season 2 Sweet Pea who will fight anyone who messes with his girl (now it's his girls)

I did a lot with her father in all of my writings, but this go around it's all about moms. I'm gonna dive into that part of her history more, and it seemed fitting since Lane is now a mom.

So if you are interested the story is titled, No One Calls You Honey When You're Sitting On the Throne. The song that comes from is so fitting to what Lane's plan is going to be. Hope to see you guys there. If not, it's been real and I'll probably see you in a few months when I have another idea.


End file.
